“Turn away mine
eyes from beholding vanity; and
quicken Thou me in Thy way” (Psalm 119:37).
Left to ourselves, we seek fulfillment in
things that have no fulfillment to offer. The Psalmist understood this about
himself, and thus prayed that God would actively engage in the work of wrenching
his gaze from vanity unto the path of life.
The world, the devil and the
flesh tell us that dead things possess the potential to fill and fulfill our
hearts. No one is excluded from the
temptation to this wayward gaze, including the most godly among us. Thus, we must join the Psalmist in
asking God to show us where we are seeking the living among the dead.
Our Lord’s answer will
involve every aspect of our inner sensibilities. Thought patterns, attitudes, beliefs and
affections all possess the potential to cause us to “behold vanity.” Indeed, it may feel good to think and
believe a certain way, or to hold an attitude with which we have become
comfortable. “There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man” declared Solomon. The wise man didn’t stop there,
however. “But the end thereof are
the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
Only God can fully deliver us from spiritually and morally wandering
through graveyards, as it were, hoping and expecting to find life in venues of
death.
“Heavenly Father, we
join the Psalmist in seeking Your aid in redirecting our gaze from death unto
life. Show us where we are seeking
the living among the dead. Cause us
to see the wickedness and insanity of such a futile pursuit. Turn our hearts toward life, the life of
the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and the truth of Your Word. Thank You for Your patience and mercy,
and for Your promise to continue Your work in us until our gaze is ever and only
upon You. In the name of the Lord
Jesus we pray, Amen.”
“Search me, O God, and know my
heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
(Psalm 139:23-24)
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