A Prayer for Mercy, a Reflection on Psalm 123

When the Israelites were oppressed by Canaan, they cried out to the Lord for help (Judges 4:3). Centuries later, after success and great failure, they continued to ask the Lord for mercy. And, we, their descendants, continue to suffer and continue to turn to the Lord to aid them.

And, like them, we can pray Psalm 123 when we are suffering from the contempt of those around us.

The notes in The New Interpreter's Bible interpret the image of servant and master:

Worshipers turn to God as their true sovereign, sick to death of the scorn and contempt of those who strut through the earth, oblivious of everything and everyone except themselves. The petition, even so, has no bitterness, just an urgent plea for God's mercy.