Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Today, we continue to read from our road trip psalms playlist. Today's selection of songs of ascent seems to be a little different as we adjust our focus on God, but don't worry, it is not that bad. 

The opening of Psalm 123 compares us as servants to God as master. This can seem to go against the idea we sometimes have of God as our best friend. But I am telling you that we can have God play multiple roles in our lives, and that it is healthy to rotate among them. There are times when I will be on a walk praying, and the prayer feels like a conversation between my best friend and me. But there are also times when I feel like I am talking to God as a Father, seeking love and forgiveness when repenting of a sin. 

Today, we are gonna look at the servant-master relationship side of God. This can be tricky, as we always tend to view this as a negative thing. I encourage you to rethink this. As we read this psalm, the words I would use to describe it are "eager humility." The psalmist is not writing this to brag about his status but to lower himself. The psalmist is also ready to follow and serve God! This is the idea I want us to focus on: eager humility. How often do we begrudgingly do something for someone or do something because we want some sort of return, a ROI if you will? We tend to fall into this eagerness to serve ourselves or begrudgingly serve others, an apathetic entitlement.

When we get ready to serve God (which should be all the time), we need to have an attitude of eager humility. A servant who loves God and wants His kingdom to flourish, not for our own sake but for the Glory of the One who has made us. We can so easily become entitled to our little kingdom of selves that we forget that the real and true goal of our lives is to worship God in all we do, from making breakfast to working out to talking to a coworker. Our mindset needs to be that of eager humility. Ready to serve God on a moment's notice and give Him the glory through it! 

Why do we do this, though? Because as we read the next psalm, we see that God is the Protector and Savior of our lives! God is good and is at work, loving His children. God is not just the Master but our Father who takes care of us even in the bad, the friend who loves and is there for us. God is the Author of our lives. So take a second and be grateful for what He has given you and blessed you with. The psalmists wrote these as the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem for worship; they were setting their hearts right, as servants eagerly and humbly ready to serve the Master who has given them life and protection. 

As we become eager to serve, we must also recognize that we are here only by God's grace. We are lost on our own, slaves to sin. But by God, He has freed us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are now free to live a life fully with God, having the Holy Spirit within us. We deserved death, but now we have life. God has shown us mercy and grace, so let us remind ourselves that God chooses to use us and be grateful that He will! So, as you go through the day, remember to be a person of eager humility. Find ways in which you can serve God by serving others. Be the best kind of servant who serves our King with eager humility.

Challenge: Write "eager humility" somewhere you can see it throughout your day, on your hand, a sticky note, or a screensaver. Use this as a reminder to be constantly ready to serve God and others throughout your day.

Advanced Challenge: Memorize Psalm 123 and meditate on it throughout the day.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God's Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today's passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.