Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. (Ps. 119:18)
Breast cancer. Husband’s job loss. Loss of loved ones. Slander. Spiritual dry seasons. Life’s journey is not always easy. We encounter trials and interruptions all along the way. These daunting circumstances have driven me to prayer and God’s Word—the only place to seek and find peace and hope in the midst.
The psalmist had also faced some difficult times in his life. He had suffered deeply at the hands of others in disappointment, loneliness, persecution, worthlessness, abandonment, and slander. He had also seen the dangers from within: his own pride and weaknesses. Yet, the author longed to live. He knew the sources for refuge and joy were God and his Word. The word open in verse 18 had to do with an uncovering of the eyes. The author didn’t need new eyes or a new revelation; he needed to see with the eyes he already had. Paul experienced this when he was converted (see Acts 9:18).
The psalmist recognized that he could not see what he could and should from God’s Word without God’s enlightenment. He needed what Tony Evans, in his book Victory in Spiritual Warfare, explained as rhema—the revealed word of God as an utterance from God to the heart of the receiver via the Holy Spirit.
Go to God and his Word. They are the source of all wisdom, training, revitalization, light, and joy (see Ps. 19:7–9).
Begin a routine of consistent Bible reading, prayer, and mutual accountability
Yolanda Moore is a retired school teacher, a women’s group leader, Bible teacher, and former state co-coordinator for the Christian Motorcyclists Association.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
