Psalm 123: 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. 

Contempt. Scorn. The psalmist is naming these as burdens carried in the soul, placed there by “the proud”. One definition of pride is “deep satisfaction derived from one’s own achievement or capacity”.

A hallmark of the people of God is our dependence on God rather than our own achievement or capacity. To those around us, this can seem foolish. This was true thousands of years ago at the time this psalm was written and it’s increasing true in our day. Believers are mocked or ridiculed as backward or superstitious or just plain stupid. The secular world around us portrays us in the most unflattering ways. I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

In our passage the psalmist asks for the mercy of God, recognizing a complete dependence upon God to be strengthened, restored, renewed, perhaps even vindicated. This morning I’m praying for those who suffer for their faith, particularly those who suffer much greater things than contempt and scorn.