① 1To you I lift up my eyes,
to you whose throne is in heaven.
2As the eyes of servants look
to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of maids look
to the hand of their mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3Have mercy on us, O Lord,
have mercy on us,
for we have our fill of contempt.
4Too long have our souls been filled
with the scorn of the arrogant,
with the ridicule of the insolent.
- The exiles returned from Babylon to a ruined city and a neglected land. This short hymn expresses the trust that upheld this ‘remnant of Israel.’ The mute appeal of the ‘eyes’ marks the simplicity of the psalm. It is so simple, indeed, that it would scarcely seem to need adapting to a true Christian heart. The eyes that we turn to God are the eyes of a child sure that it is loved, they are not the eyes of an anxious servant. Bidding us say: ‘Father!’ our Lord would have us think of ourselves, as children. Let us sing this psalm like a child.
