Eyes Up

“Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants [look] unto the hand of their masters, [and] as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes [wait] upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” (Ps 123:1-2 AV)

This psalm was sung as the penitent ascended the temple mount.  A psalm of degrees were psalms sung in the process of worship.  The context will reveal whether the psalm was sung while ascending or descending the temple mount.  This psalm was obviously sung while ascending and facing the temple.  One would think this psalm is self-evident.  As the troubled soul ascended the temple mount, his eyes would naturally be cast upward.  The servant or maid who needs mercy is the servant or maid who has concerns that require atoning.  The hand of the servant or maid attends to the needs and desires of the master, but that does not mean success was always the case.  A wondrous thing to consider is that the servant or maid labors because mercy is expected rather than earned.  The upcast eyes are not eyes of condemnation.  Rather, they are eyes of expectation.  The eyes are cast upward not out of terror, but out of gratitude.  As the penitent ascends the temple mount, he does so with a sacrifice.  He does not ascend with a  sacrifice hoping that the LORD will accept it.  He does so knowing that because he brings it according to the law, it will be accepted.

The eyes of service are a continue state.  The hands that serve the master continue.  They do not abate because mercy is needed.  They continue because mercy is forthcoming.  That which touches the heart this morning is the direction of the eyes rather than the activity of the hands.  They are upward.  A memory comes back.  A memory of a special time and place.  I grew up near Niagara Falls, NY.  We lived east of the Falls and slightly north.  With weather coming from the west, this meant our weather was greatly affected by the Falls.  So much so that rain patterns and cloud formations were unique to our little town.  One feature of our skies was cotton-ball-style clouds.  It reminds the reader of those grade school art projects where cotton balls were glued to a blue piece of construction paper.  In my childhood, flying kites was popular.  That was back in the day when the TV had only four channels and there was no such thing as the computer or smartphones.  Most of our entertainment was outside, in the weather.  Getting the kite to fly was a bit of a chore.  But once we did, there was no better sight than to see it dancing among the cotton ball clouds.  At that moment, the stress of childhood melted away.  Because our eyes were cast upward, the troubles of life became out of view.  To this day, fifty years later, I can still remember the times I looked skyward, completely enamored with the puffy white balls in the sky.

We have an indescribable eternity awaiting us.  That which resides in heaven cannot be compared to puffy white clouds.  The glory of God that outshines the sun is there.  Sinless perfection with no sorrow added to it is our future.  We will see Jesus face to face and thank Him for all that He has done.  There awaits a sight that John struggled to put into words.  There are sights that Paul saw that he was forbidden to share.  Our eyes cast heavenward is more than mere escapism.  Walking with the LORD for many decades, the heart yearns for direct fellowship.  As the things of this life begin to change and that which was once very fondly treasured, are minor when compared to the person of God and our eternity with Him.  Those eyes cast upward are eyes of hope and affirmation.  There is no doubt the master will show mercy.  There is no doubt the LORD has and will forgive all sin.  The eyes are cast heavenward not out of fear.  Rather, the eyes are cast heavenward because there is never-abating hope.