Lifting Up the Lowly
Opening Prayer
Thank You, Lord, that You came to the lowest place so that You might raise us up to be with You.
Read Psalm 113:1-9
[1] Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, you his servants; praise the name of the LORD. [2] Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. [3] From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. [4] The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. [5] Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, [6] who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? [7] He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; [8] he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. [9] He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What parts of God's character are revealed in the psalm?The first half of this psalm lifts our eyes up high and says, very simply, “Praise the Lord” (that’s “hallelu-yah” in Hebrew). And you might be thinking, Well, that’s all very well for God, sitting enthroned on high. It would be different if God could see what life is really like down here. At which point the second half of the psalm offers the wonderful image of God stooping down low to take a look (6). The psalm doesn’t record what God might have thought upon seeing all the difficulties people are encountering. It just records what God does about it. The poor and needy are rehoused with princes (8), and the barren women are rehoused with families (9). Being “lifted up” by God, here, equates to having our living situation transformed. Verse 9 also sounds a lot like Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 2, or indeed Elizabeth’s story in Luke 1, and perhaps this psalm was sung by them. Perhaps it hints at miraculous child-bearing for the childless. Or maybe its thought is closer to Psalm 68:6: “God sets the lonely in families.” Either way, God’s rehousing project is set to transform lives on an everyday level. So, to go back to the beginning, “Praise the Lord!”
Apply
God picks up the lowly. If that is you, trust him. If that is someone in your life, be God’s hands and feet.
Closing prayer
Gracious Lord, thank You for the You paid to give us Your redemptive love and make us a part of Your family.
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