Falling In Love With God’s Word #6
Read Psalm 119:17-19
This is perhaps my favorite passage in the entire chapter. The author humbly asks God to “open his eyes” in order that he may see the wonderful things contained in God’s word.
I was at a basketball game some time ago, and the officiating was downright awful! The calls seemed so bad, it was as if the referee’s weren’t even watching. In fact, one fan yelled loudly, “open your eyes ref, you’re missing a great game!” Isn’t it amazing that people can look at the same thing and each see something vastly different? You can be looking but not really seeing the reality. I think this is what the author realizes about his own limitations regarding God’s word. He is begging God for greater spiritual vision. The plea is not for NEW eyes (as if the old ones weren’t good enough). Instead, he is asking God for better insight into His law. Do we see the right things when we look into God’s word?
At times we see things we would not describe as “wonderful.” We see burden, time we have to spend, sacrifice, hard work, self-denial, rules, restrictions, obstacles to freedom, pain and suffering. First, while many of these are not instantly “wonderful,” there are biblical principles that, while painful, do produce wonderful, beautiful results in our lives. Second, if this is all (or even most) of what we see, we need to pray for greater spiritual vision. We are not seeing the same thing that turned the world upside down centuries ago and remains the lifeblood of humanity today.
The reality is, God’s word contains hope, redemption, forgiveness, grace, unconditional love, freedom from bondage of all types, access to eternity, inspiring alternative choices for this life, safe boundaries, care, concern, love, honesty, miracles, changed lives, salvation, transformation.
Is this what you see? If not, pray for God to open your eyes, you don’t want to miss a great blessing!
Reflections
1. What do you see when you reflect on the Bible? What is your spiritual vision like?
2. In your opinion, what forces play into this? What kinds of things play into our view of God’s law? How does recognizing this help you have greater spiritual vision?