Have Mercy Upon Us: Psalm 123:1-4
Psalm 123:1-4
1 To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
- Light a candle to remember Christ’s presence with you.
- Spend five to fifteen minutes in silent meditation paying attention to the breath.
- Imagine yourself lifting up your eyes to see God in heaven.
- What curtains of contempt and scorn must be pushed aside for you to see God?
- Name these curtains as you push them aside.
- Continue naming the curtains and moving them until you can see God as fully as possible.
- Rest in the Lord. Savor this time.
- What characteristics of God do you encounter this day?
- Allow these characteristics to fully embrace you as a gift from God.
- Rest in the Lord. Savor this time.
- Is there an invitation for you from God?
- Is there a call to loving action?
- Give thanks to God for this time of prayer and presence. Give thanks for any new insights you have received.
- Share as you feel led in the reply box below.
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Sunday, November 19, 2023, the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Judges 4:1-7
Psalm 123:1-4
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30
If you use these prayers in other groups, please give credit to author. Permission to use in not-for-profit settings. (c) 2023 The Rev. Dr. Lil Smith, DASD
Rev. Dr. Lil Smith is a trained spiritual director, supervisor, and co-founder of Retreat House Spirituality Center in Richardson, TX. Upon completion of her spiritual direction training, Lil began Praying the Lectionary in 2011 as a spiritual practice for her morning prayer time. Instead of reading about someone else’s experience of God, it was important for her to create a prayer practice that would encourage felt sense experience of the Holy emerging from within. It dawned on her others might enjoy the practice, as well. So she began to share them on this site.
As you experience the practice of Praying the Lectionary, adopt a loving, caring, and compassionate stance. If the end of your prayer and meditation time is not pointing to love and hope, there is more work to do. Keep wrestling. God is faithful to your journey. Love and hope will emerge. Be gentle with yourself and befriend any judgment that arises in you.
