You Drive Where You Look: What Psalm 123 Teaches Us About Whose Voice We Follow
- Thad DeBuhr
- 1 day ago
- 12 min read
Study Guide: Psalm 123
There is a simple lesson most of us learn when we first start driving: the vehicle tends to follow your eyes.
Imagine driving down a straight two-lane highway when you suddenly spot a huge bull moose standing in a field off to your left. You turn your head to get a better look. You keep watching him. Without realizing it, your hands begin following your eyes, and before long the truck starts drifting toward the center line.
Nothing is wrong with the road.
The problem is where you are looking.
The same thing can happen in life. We can become so focused on what other people think, what someone said about us, whether people approve of us, or everything going wrong around us that we slowly begin drifting.
Psalm 123 gives us a simple but powerful lesson for following Jesus:
You drive where you look.
And if we want our lives headed in the right direction, we need to pay attention to where our eyes are fixed.
SETTING THE SCENE:
Psalm 123 is the fourth of the fifteen Songs of Ascents, Psalms 120–134. These songs are traditionally associated with pilgrims traveling toward Jerusalem to worship. We don't know who wrote Psalm 123 or exactly when it was written. What we do know is what these worshipers were experiencing: contempt, ridicule, and the scorn of proud people.
So picture people walking toward Jerusalem while others apparently think they are foolish. Following God hasn't suddenly earned them everyone's respect.
But notice what they do. Instead of becoming consumed with the people who are looking down on them, they choose to look up toward God.
That's the movement of this entire Psalm.
New to the Songs of Ascents?
Before going further, take a few minutes to read our Introduction to the Songs of Ascents. It will give you the backstory behind these 15 ancient songs—who sang them, why they were connected with the journey to Jerusalem, and why understanding that setting changes the way we read Psalms 120–134 today.
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Before you go through the study guide, read the whole Psalm.
I would suggest reading or listening to it in two different bible translations:
First read it in NASB or NKJV, then read it again from a NLT, NIV or ESV Bible.
1. “I LIFT MY EYES TO YOU”
Psalm 123 begins with the writer lifting his eyes toward “God, enthroned in heaven” (Psalm 123:1 NLT).
What's interesting is that nothing has changed yet. The people mocking him haven't stopped. Nobody has apologized. The problem hasn't disappeared.
The first thing that changes is simply where he looks.
That matters because what continually holds our attention eventually begins shaping us. If we constantly watch people who criticize us, we'll become consumed with defending ourselves. If we constantly compare ourselves with others, we'll always find someone who seems to have more. If we continually chase people's approval, we'll spend our lives adjusting ourselves to keep everyone happy.
Psalm 123 begins somewhere different.
Look up.
2. EVERYBODY IS LOOKING SOMEWHERE FOR DIRECTION
Psalm 123:2 uses an image that sounds strange to modern ears. It describes servants watching their master and a female servant watching her mistress, waiting for the slightest signal.
The Psalm isn't teaching us to approve of slavery. It is using a relationship its original audience understood immediately. A servant watched closely because the master's hand might communicate what was needed next, and because servants depended upon the household for their needs.
That's the picture the Psalm gives us for following God.
Pay attention. Watch. Listen. Wait. Be ready to respond.
The question isn't whether we're taking our cues from somewhere. We all are.
The question is:
Whose signal are you watching for?
3. WHO GETS TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO?
We don't usually think of ourselves as servants watching for someone's signal, but we do something surprisingly similar every day.
Before making a decision we may wonder what our family will think. We wonder whether our friends will approve. We notice what everyone online seems to believe. We worry about criticism or about looking foolish.
None of that means other people's opinions never matter. Wise advice matters. Correction matters. Listening to people who love us matters.
The problem comes when their approval begins determining our direction.
Following Jesus means learning to look toward Him before looking around to see whether everyone else approves.
There is a big difference between asking, “What will people think?” and asking, “Jesus, what do You want me to do?”
4. ARE WE SERVING GOD OR TRYING TO USE GOD?
Sometimes our relationship with God can quietly become centered on what we want Him to do for us.
God, fix this problem.
Change this person.
Give me this opportunity.
Bless this plan.
Make this easier.
There is nothing wrong with bringing our needs to God. In fact, Psalm 123 does exactly that when the people ask God for mercy.
But the picture in verse 2 challenges us to go deeper. The servant isn't only asking what the master can provide. The servant is watching for direction.
That's an important change in discipleship.
Following Jesus eventually moves us from only asking:
“God, what can You do for me?”
toward also asking:
“Jesus, what do You want from me?”
5. KEEP LOOKING EVEN WHILE YOU'RE WAITING
There is an important little phrase in Psalm 123:2:
“We keep looking to the LORD our God for his mercy…”
They haven't received the answer yet.
They are still waiting.
That is important because sometimes we pray once or twice and begin wondering why nothing has happened. We assume that if God is listening, our circumstances should change quickly.
Psalm 123 gives us another picture of faith.
The situation hasn't changed, but the direction of their attention hasn't changed either.
They keep looking.
Sometimes faith means continuing to trust God when you don't yet understand what He is doing.
6. “HAVE MERCY ON US”
By verse 3, we discover just how tired these people are. They tell God they have had enough of the contempt being directed toward them. The Psalm ends by describing the ridicule and contempt coming from proud, self-assured people.
They aren't pretending it doesn't hurt.
But notice where they take the hurt.
They don't spend the Psalm planning revenge. They don't obsess over proving everyone wrong.
They turn toward God and ask:
Have mercy on us.
That is an important lesson for us. Following Jesus doesn't mean criticism stops hurting. It means we have somewhere to take the hurt when it does.
7. SOMETIMES FOLLOWING JESUS COSTS YOU APPROVAL
These pilgrims are heading toward Jerusalem to worship God, yet someone is still laughing at them.
That shouldn't surprise us.
Following Jesus won't always make sense to everyone around us. Forgiving someone instead of getting even may look weak. Being honest when dishonesty would benefit us may look foolish. Generosity may make no sense to someone whose highest goal is accumulating more.
Eventually every disciple has to decide:
Whose approval matters most?
If everyone has to approve before we'll obey Jesus, sooner or later we'll stop obeying Jesus.
You don't have to become rude, defensive, or uncaring toward others.
You simply have to decide who gets the final word about the direction of your life.
8. THE APPROVAL TRAP
This may be where Psalm 123 connects most strongly with modern life.
Trying to keep everybody happy is exhausting.
We replay conversations wondering whether we said the wrong thing. Someone criticizes us and their one negative comment outweighs fifty encouraging ones. We make a decision and immediately wonder what everyone else will think.
Psalm 123 offers freedom from that treadmill.
It doesn't say to stop caring about people. It tells us not to give people God's place in our lives.
Listen to wise people. Receive correction. Learn from others.
But keep your eyes on God.
9. THEIR OPINION DOESN'T DEFINE YOU
Contempt communicates something deeper than simple disagreement. It looks down at another person and essentially says, “You're beneath me.”
Listen to those voices long enough and eventually you can begin believing them.
But notice the contrast in Psalm 123.
People are looking down on these worshipers while they are looking up toward the God who is enthroned in heaven.
That changes whose opinion carries the greatest weight.
Other people's opinions can teach us something. Sometimes criticism is even deserved and we need to listen.
But other people do not get to determine your worth or become the final authority over your life.
The voices around you don't outrank the God above you.
10. YOU DRIVE WHERE YOU LOOK
Now return to our opening story. You're driving down the highway and see that moose standing in the field. The longer you stare to the left, the more likely you are to begin drifting left.
The solution isn't complicated. Get your eyes back on the road.
Psalm 123 is teaching us something very similar spiritually.
If my attention is continually fixed on criticism, approval, comparison, fear, politics, money, social media, or what everyone else thinks, I shouldn't be surprised when those things begin pulling my life in their direction.
Psalm 123 says:
Get your eyes back on the One you're following.
You drive where you look.
11. LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE TRAVELED
These first four Songs of Ascent form a beautiful progression.
Psalm 120 changed our direction: I'm going the wrong way. Turn around.
Psalm 121 changed where we look for help: The road won't always be easy, but God is watching over me.
Psalm 122 showed us other travelers: I wasn't meant to make this journey alone. Let us go together.
And now Psalm 123 changes where we fix our attention: Not everyone will understand this journey, and I don't need everyone's approval to continue it.
The question becomes:
Who am I watching as I walk?
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Why Context Changes Everything
If we pull Psalm 123 out of its setting, the language about servants and masters can become distracting or confusing. But when we hear it as an ancient Song of Ascent, the picture becomes clearer.
These are people on a journey toward worship who are experiencing contempt from others.
The servant imagery communicates attention, dependence, waiting, and readiness to respond. The Psalm moves from one person's lifted eyes in verse 1 to a community crying together for mercy in verses 2–4.
The context helps us see that Psalm 123 isn't mainly a lesson about ancient household structures.
It's a lesson about where God's people look when the world around them is pulling their attention somewhere else.
FOUR WAYS TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED
1. LOOK BACK — What does the text say?
What words or ideas are repeated in Psalm 123?
What are these people experiencing?
What do they do instead of focusing on those mocking them?
What does the servant picture communicate about their relationship with God?
2. LOOK IN — What does this reveal about me?
Whose opinion has more influence over me than I would like to admit?
When someone criticizes me, how long do I tend to carry it?
Where do my thoughts naturally go when I'm worried or uncertain?
Am I mainly asking God to bless my plans, or am I asking Him what He wants?
3. LOOK UP — What does this reveal about God?
What difference does it make that the writer describes God as enthroned in heaven?
What does asking for mercy tell us about the way these people see God?
What might it look like for you to keep looking toward God while you're still waiting for an answer?
4. LOOK AHEAD — What should I do?
What has been getting too much of my attention lately?
Is someone else's approval or criticism pulling me off course?
Is there something you already know Jesus wants you to do, but you're hesitating because of what others might think?
Where do you need to intentionally put your eyes back on Jesus this week?
Journey Group OR ME & 3 Small Group Discussion Starters:
If you're using this guide with your Journey Group, Me & 3 group, or a few friends, don't feel like you need to work through every question. Start with something that gets people talking and then let the conversation go deeper.
Start with something everyone can answer:
Think about a time when you became so focused on something around you that you got distracted from where you were supposed to be going. What happened?
Then move into the Psalm:
If “you drive where you look” is also true spiritually, what has been getting most of your attention lately—and where do you think it is taking you?
That question opens the door for people to talk about worry, comparison, criticism, approval, fear, relationships, work, money, or anything else competing for their attention.
Remember This:
Whatever continually gets your attention will eventually influence your direction. So keep your eyes on Jesus, listen for His direction, and don't let the voices around you pull you away from the One you're following.
You drive where you look.
FINAL THOUGHT
Psalm 123 is only four verses long, but it asks a question that reaches into everyday life:
Where are you looking?
The people singing this Psalm knew what it felt like to be criticized and looked down on. Their answer wasn't to pretend the criticism didn't hurt or to fight everyone who disagreed with them.
They lifted their eyes toward God.
They watched Him for direction.
They waited for His mercy.
They kept looking even when nothing had changed yet.
And they refused to allow the people looking down on them to determine the direction they were traveling.
We face the same choice.
There will always be something trying to grab our attention. Other people's opinions. Problems we can't solve. Comparison. Fear. Criticism. The pressure to keep everyone happy.
But we don't have to follow every voice that gets our attention.
We can listen to wise people. We can receive correction. We can care deeply about others.
And still keep our eyes fixed on the One we're actually following.
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