Open my eyes, Lord!

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
Psalm 119:18

I often pray those words when I open my Bible for my morning devotion. It’s an interesting prayer when you think about it. The psalmist believed he needed help to see what was right there on the page in front of him . . . so do we.

You and I swim in a noisy world filled with opinions. There are so many claims being made about what is right and what is wrong, so many positions being promoted as being on “the right side of history,” so many voices speaking “their truth.” It all leaves us frustrated and confused. 

How can we find what is true? How can we feel secure? How can we know we’re on the right path? By going straight to God and asking him to speak through his Word. 

Before you search for insight by turning on the TV or scrolling through social media, even before chatting with a friend you trust, open the one Book that God wrote and pray, “Lord, open my eyes to see wonderful things in your law.” 

Through his Spirit, God answers our prayer by grabbing our attention with that one verse, that one phrase, perhaps even that one word we need to hear.

God says that in his “law” (from a Hebrew word that means “teaching or instruction”) you can find the wisdom you need to make the right decisions at work, at school, or caring for a sick relative. Even better, in God’s Word you find the promise of his unfailing love that will be there to forgive you, to save you, and to inspire you to love others unconditionally.

Sounds a lot more encouraging than a Twitter argument, doesn’t it?

The Bible sitting on your shelf is God’s anchor for your heart and mind in today’s crazy world. It shows us we are saved from our sins by telling us of God’s love. It saves us from being sucked into the latest cultural fads by keeping us grounded in God’s unchanging truth. And it teaches us how to live more like Jesus, the Word made flesh. 

So tomorrow morning, reach for your Bible and pray this ancient prayer with me—“God, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

That is a prayer your Father in heaven loves to answer.

— Pastor Mike Novotny