Bible Verse of the Day Saturday March 11th, 2023

Psalm 123:1 I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven.

As saved, born-again believers in Christ Jesus, our salvation comes through our faith in Jesus, that He is the true promised Messiah and the only way to the Father. With less than one hundred words, this short Psalm is one of the songs of praise that the Children of Israel would sing on their journey to Jerusalem for all the annual feast celebrations. Jerusalem was on a hill, and the worshippers could see the Temple of God as they ascended higher and higher toward their destination, Jerusalem.

However, it was God that they lifted their eyes to as they would sing, I lift my eyes up to you, whose throne is in heaven. They did not focus on the splendor of the mountain, the magnificence, and grandeur of the Temple of God but on God Himself, the only one that could deliver them from their repression and burdens. Charles Spurgeon once wrote, "It is good to have someone to look up to." The Psalmist looked so high that he could look no higher. He looked not to the hills but the God of the mountain." The Children of Israel had become disenchanted because of the disdain and condescension they were plagued with by the enemies surrounding them. Through these songs and sonnets they sang, their hopes and prayers were that God would hear their humble pleas and deliver them from those who harmed them.

As children of God today, we are plagued by many who desire to bring conflict and contention into the lives of those surrendered to Christ Jesus. Satan will strategically place evil followers in our midst to cause discord and break up God's sweet harmony between brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Just as God wanted the Children of Israel to come to Him with all their life concerns, His desire for His Children today is to bring all our worries to Him along with our praise and worship. Although God knows every anxiety, fear, and trepidation surrounding our being, He wants us to bow down to His very Throne, which is what we do when we pray to Him.

It is a blessing for us to lift our eyes and hearts up to God with our petitions and praises. Knowing that whatever enemy comes after us, we will be protected by and through the Holy Word of God, the "Sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17b).