SEEK DEVOTIONAL

If I could pray only one prayer over you this new year, it would be that you would lift your gaze and see the Lord, who is your help. Psalm 121 is a song of ascent, sung by the Israelites as they physically ascended toward Jerusalem and the Temple for the major feasts of the Hebrew calendar. As they journeyed upward in the natural, they sang so that their hearts and souls would also be lifted on a holy journey.

Eyes are significant throughout all of Scripture. Jesus says it better than anyone in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6, from the Amplified translation, He says:

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts].
23 But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!”

What we behold with our eyes, both naturally and spiritually, is what we move toward in our lives. So, if you can receive it, Psalm 121 is God’s eye exam.

At all times, there are countless things vying for your attention: tragedies in the news, political tension, workplace hardship, and division within families. Entertainment and social media are also designed to keep your eyes fixed on a screen, and often temptation and evil lurk behind that screen, with fiery darts at the ready. When your time, worries, and attention are fixed solely on these distractions, you will eventually feel as though God is a million miles away. I speak from experience.

The truth is, God did not leave you, you simply stopped lifting your gaze toward Him.

Now, I am not advocating that we all destroy our iPhones, abandon society, and live a monk-like lifestyle. But we should prioritize time with God and in His Word so that we can view the news with discernment from the Holy Spirit, maintain a healthy relationship with entertainment, and bring the cares and worries of life to the One who “will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (verse 8).

There is something powerful in this Psalm that you will see throughout the book of Psalms: declaring what is true over yourself and calling your inner life to align with God. Verse 1 states, “I lift up my eyes”; not a suggestion, but a call to attention. This is where your spirit man (or woman) follows the Holy Spirit and leads your natural man.

We see this same pattern in Psalm 103:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

The psalmist is commanding his own soul to bless the Lord just as, in Psalm 121, he commands himself to lift his eyes.

I love how the Old and New Testaments resonate and harmonize with one another; it is beautiful. The New Testament passage that harmonizes with and fulfills Psalm 121 is Hebrews 12:1–3:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Prayer:

(Before praying, still your heart before the Lord, and ask yourself, what has my gaze been upon recently? Am I caught up in the cares of this life or living distracted? The Lord sees and knows, and loves you. He is calling you to set your gaze upon Him now.)

Lord, I lift my eyes to You. Thank You that You are my help and the keeper of my soul. Holy Spirit, help me to see Jesus today. Remind me that You are at work in ways I do not yet see. I rejoice knowing that Your presence and love are with me as I seek You first. Keep me from worthless distractions, and give me discernment to view the things of this world through the perspective of Your unshakable kingdom. I give my worries and cares to you, thank you that you care for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.