I lift my eyes to You,
the One enthroned in heaven
In one phrase or sentence, what do you consider to be the theme of Psalm 123?
"Pursuing favor from God while ignoring (or maybe 'and deliverance from') contempt from others."
Have you discovered a strong relationship in the concept of the statement 'where I look impacts how I feel'? If so, how? Try to get specific.
"Oh, certainly! When problems arise, and I focus on them, my anxiety builds up and overwhelms me. But then when I remember to ask God for help and look to Him to see what He'll do (at least most of) the stress melts away. December 22 our heater broke and our van transmission burst. Our trusty heater repairman said he would come at noon on the 23rd. That morning Randy took my car to work, and I called AAA, where the lady got me all anxious by telling me I would have to go with my vehicle to the shop because it's their strict policy and no one could get here until after 11:00. I got to work on all the back up plans, but I was feeling sick with worry until I stopped and released it to God. (When the tow truck did arrive at 1:15, the driver said he knew where I was sending him and didn't care either way. Leon called to reschedule to 1:30 or so)."
Read Acts 3:1-7. This is a perfect time to take a glance at your temple diagram. Describe where this encounter between Peter, John, and the beggar took place.
"It took place at the outer gate called Beautiful, south(?) of the Court of Women."
Now look carefully at Acts 3:4. What did Peter say to the beggar? "Look at us!"
Complete Acts 3:5: 'So the man "gave them his attention," expecting to get something from them' (NIV)
Verse 3 tells us the man saw them and asked them for money, but obviously with half a glance, half a heart, and probably less than half an expectation. Until Peter demanded his attention, the crippled man simply did what he did 'every day'… [but then] he looked, which caused him to more effectively listen, which altered his feelings, manifesting in a change in his expectation.
How could the same concepts in your approach to God impact your life?
"On days when I only give God a passing glance, I won't hear him over life's clamor, I won't feel His presence, and I won't expect Him to impact my life that day. On days when I look directly at Him (into His Word, etc.), I will hear His gentle guidance and/or reassurance, I will feel carried along in His will, and I will expect Him to help me be His hands, feet, and voice."
How is God described in Psalm 123:1? "the One enthroned in heaven"
List what the following psalms tell us about God's enthronement.
Psalm 22:3-4 "He is 'enthroned as the Holy One.'"
Psalm 29:10 "(over the flood) …the Lord is enthroned as King forever."
Psalm 99:1 "'He sits enthroned between the cherubim…'"
Psalm 113:4-6 "'…the One who sits enthroned on high…'"
God is the ultimate exception to the saying that 'absolute power corrupt absolutely.'
What is one of your foremost concerns? (Complete the following sentence.) Lord, You are the Holy One and You are alertly and lovingly enthroned over "the struggling stock market, our shrinking savings, and our mounting debt."
Consider afresh that God was just as intentional about what He didn't tell us in Scripture as what He did. You might say that what is missing and unexplained on the pages of Scripture is in some ways just as inspired as what you find in ink. 
What do you think you'd do if you thought you had God completely figured out?
"Kakuro comes to mind. What I wouldn't do is bother with any more Bible studies."
What if you could learn to use God like a tool and get anything you wanted?
"I'd be like Samantha or Jeannie and every broken or messed up thing would get fixed, but I'd probably end up with a terrible Monkey's Paw or Butterfly Effect mess."
How do you respond to these thoughts? "Amen!"
Dearest Rachel -
Sometimes, when I encounter one of your stories about how God managed to calm your heart, I wish I could recall the incident you describe. It was so long ago, though – and most of the worst of it happened while I was off at work, so I wasn't there to experience it with you (although knowing my own tendency to panic when circumstances aren't going my way, I'm sure I would have been of very little help) – that I'm drawing a blank on it, for the most part. I actually remember better when the old 1970 Benz burst its diaphragm (partially because it was while we were on our way downstate, presumably to your folks) than when this happened to one of our vans so many years later. I don't dispute its happening, but I can't recall it.
Likewise, after so long of being independently well-off (I hesitate to call it 'wealthy,' but from most perspectives, it probably is), I can't recall what could have been happening that caused you such concern about our savings, and more to the point, our debts. You were always the one pointing out that when I claimed we were living 'paycheck-to-paycheck,' that we weren't letting bills go unpaid (including our credit card bills); we may have always depleted our income by the time I got my next paycheck, but it was almost always enough to cover our bills. Then again, we did have to dip into the investment account from time to time, and if we were dealing with a major auto repair when you were working on this study, I suppose that would be top of mind at the time.
I won't say I miss those days of struggle, but there's a poignancy in not being able to relate to them anymore – not to mention the fact that you can't enjoy the current time in which those days are so long past (although you had a certain amount of time, admittedly; just not enough, as far as I'm concerned). There's also a concern insofar as I might not be able to fully rely on God for things:
Rich people trust their wealth like a strong city.
They think it is like the high walls.
Proverbs 18:11, Expanded Bible
May I never become like that, Lord. I only live in this city through Your permission; I need to remember You're in charge of it. Like with Rachel, if I thought I knew what I was doing, in terms of trying to obtain what I wanted, I'd probably screw it up, too.
And having said that, honey, I'll ask you to keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I'm going to need it.
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