Eastern Hills Baptist Church
Sermon Series: RISE - The Psalms of Ascent
Welcome to Eastern Hills Baptist Church
We are so glad that you decided to join us in worship today. Here at Eastern Hills we realize that we are all in different places on our journey with Christ, and that's okay. Whether you are a seeker, looking for answers, or a long-time follower of Christ, you are welcome here.
1. Look
Prayer is part of our journey home.
In prayer, we look to God. The term "our eyes" is in the very middle of Psalm 123.
Psalms 123:1-2 CSB
2. Look to Heaven
Moving beyond looking "to the hills" (Psalm 121:1) the writer looks to the temple and to Him who the temple cannot hold.
"The storms of earth are not storms in heaven, where all is at rest; the wants of earth are swamped by the ocean flood of heaven’s resources; and the forces and oppositions of earth do not count in heaven, where real sovereignty is enthroned" (Alec Motyer, Journey: Psalms for Pilgrim People, 49-50).
Nehemiah 1:4 CSB
Nehemiah 2:4 CSB
Nehemiah 9:6 CSB
Matthew 6:9 CSB
3. Look to His Hand
Prayer is a waiting-action.
"In the symbolism of the Old Testament the eye is the organ of desire, and the hand is the organ of ‘intervention’ and personal action… We come submitting our needs (eyes) to his decisions (hand). It is our job to wait, his to act" (Motyer, 50).
Only God has the right to act; and only God has the resources.
4. Look to His Heart
God's heart is to give favor to the forgotten, grace to the lowly, and mercy to the guilty.
The only prerequisite to grace is need.
Psalms 123:3-4 CSB
5. Look to His Face
Sometimes prayer feels like trying to catch God's eye.
Isaiah 40:2 CSB
Numbers 6:24-26 CSB
6. Look to His Son
In prayer, we look to Jesus who is praying with us and for us. Imagine Him praying Psalm 123!
Matthew 26:36-46 CSB
Isaiah 45:22 KJV
TAKE IT HOME:
Discuss this as a family this week:
-- Do you ever wonder if God sees you, or worry that he is overlooking you?
-- Which tells you more about a person: what they look like or where they look when they need help?
-- Have you ever thought about prayer as a way of looking to God? What do you expect to "see" when you pray? Do you think God is listening?
-- What would it be like if Jesus prayed Psalm 123?
-- Do you want to pray together as a family?