Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37
Yesterday, I shared a post about the Psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 119:37. In that post I applied this prayer to believers. The Psalmist is a believer in the LORD. As a believer he prays for the Lord to turn his eyes from worthless things and give him life in His ways. So, I have been praying this prayer for myself, my church family, and other believers I know.
As I have reflected more on this prayer, I have noticed that it can be applied to lost souls as well. As the Bible teaches, they are blinded by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Their confidence is not in Christ but in worthless deceptions. Their hope may be in a number of places: perceived personal righteousness, religious compliance, idol worship, baptism, etc. If their hope is not in Jesus Christ alone, it is an empty deception (Acts 4:12).
They also have complete inability to remedy their lost condition. They cannot save themselves, because no one is saved by works (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:20; Ephesians 2:8-9). By nature all mankind is born dead in sin and doomed to face God’s punishment (Ephesians 2:1-3).
The lost are in need of Divine intervention. They must be given spiritual sight and spiritual life by God (Ephesians 2:4-7; Titus 3:3-7). They need the Lord to turn their eyes from the worthless lies they embrace and in which they hope. They need God to give them life in His ways. They need to be made wise to salvation through faith in Jesus (2 Timothy 3:14-15). This knowledge of the truth comes from God through the Word, the Bible, which points to Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44-45). They need knowledge of Jesus Christ through His Good News (John 17:3). Jesus has died for sinners, has risen again, is ascended, and is coming again. All who trust in Him alone are saved (John 3:16).
The lost need the Lord to grant them repentance that leads to life (Acts 11:18). So, Psalm 119:37 has become a helpful tool for praying to that end.
Father, turn my children (friends, neighbors, etc) from the worthless lies they now believe and give them life in Your ways. Give them life in the Lord Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Amen
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