Pray:
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
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.
Pray:
Gracious Lord, thank You for the You paid to give us Your redemptive love and make us a part of Your family.
