At His Mercy

"To you I lift up my eyes,

O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

Behold, as the eyes of servants

look to the hand of their master,

 as the eyes of a maidservant

to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the LORD our God,

till he has mercy upon us."

Psalm 123:1-2 ESV

Life is fragile, brief and oh-so delicate.  One minute I'm here, the next my life is a distant memory.  As the prophet Isaiah reminds me, "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass."  (Isaiah 40:6b-7)  No matter how secure I may feel, how much effort I put into preserving my life, I am completely at the mercy of God; only He knows my fate.

Whether I recognize it or not, my life is in God's hands, a good place to be once I accept it.  When I submit to His sovereign power, the way I live my life will change.

Servant.  A slave has no life of his own for he is bought by a master.  Therefore, he must do his master's bidding while being completely dependent upon him for his provision. Every moment of his life is spent focused on the will of his master.  The moment he became a slave, his own rights and liberties went out the window for now his attentions must be trained on fulfilling the wishes of the one who owns him. 

Likewise, once I realize I am a servant of God's and submit myself to His loving, gentle Spirit, I will no longer cater to my own needs but look to His plan for my life. It will no longer be about me and my desires, my rights, my freedoms but rather about my Master's preferences.  What is it that He wants from me in this moment?  What is His will for my life?  How can I best represent Him in the way I respond to this hardship?

As one who is at God's mercy, I consider myself His servant, bought with a price so I can honor Him in the way I live my life (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Maidservant.  She exists to assist her mistress, tending to her every whim and desire.  A maidservant must also be ready at any moment to spring into action.  When her mistress calls, whether it be first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night, she is expected to be prepared to perform any task necessary to please her mistress.

In a similar way, I can think of myself as a maidservant, taking on the qualities that make a helpful attendant.  It's easy for me to put certain parameters around what I'm willing to do, or the times I'm available for service, but if I'm to be truly submitted to God and His will, it will mean I must take on the mindset of a maidservant.  It is for Him and His glory that I exist, but I can rest easy in the knowledge that He will never take advantage of my subservience.

As one who is at God's mercy, I consider myself His maidservant, ready and willing to accomplish whatever He calls me to do whenever He calls me to do it.

God-focus.  Servants are entirely master-focused.  In order to do their job successfully, and thus preserve their life, they must learn to set aside their own wants and desires and keep their eyes trained on the one for whom they work.  It takes humility to submit to such selfless service.

While God does not force me to submit to His will, doing so promises much blessing and building up of a storehouse full of treasures in heaven.  It may not seem a very prestigious position to hold, but in God's upside-down, backwards system of values, the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5) and anyone who wants to be considered great must be a servant (Matthew 20:26-28).

As one who is at God's mercy, my focus must be trained on God and His will.

It can be scary to put myself at the mercy of another, especially if I'm not sure if they can be trusted with my life.  When it comes to God, however, I can place my life in His hands, knowing without a doubt that He will not take advantage of me nor fail to provide for every need.  Therefore, I can operate as His servant who has been bought at a price, a maidservant who is always ready to do His bidding, and maintain a God-focus instead of putting myself and my rights first.  In these ways, being at God's mercy is a very good place to be!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God with every part of my life.

When do I promote myself, thinking I'll never amount to anything unless I defend my rights and stimulate my own success?

How do I fail to make God's will my top priority?