Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord!

Psalms 119:17-24
ג GIMEL

17 Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.

18 Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.

19 I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.

20 My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.

21 You rebuke the proud—the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt,
For I have kept Your testimonies.

23 Princes also sit and speak against me,
But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

24 Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors.

How I long as the psalmist to always keep God’s word, asking to be spared enough time to do accordingly as long as possible to make this life useful to my Lord!  How He spares me over and again to do just that in His good providence and mercy.  As it is written here, I pray constantly that He opens my eyes to really see the wondrous things in His scriptures about Himself, myself, and His salvation, with the intent of conformity to His image (2 Corinthians 3:18) according to His word.  Because the understanding comes from God living now within me, these ears may hear that my feet may follow.  As a pilgrim wandering this world, I can relate to the psalmist who counted himself a stranger as well, and seek to know and live according to the words of His mouth to us.  Therefore, I also pray to have Him open His word to me that I may live it out.  Mere accumulation of facts is never enough; changes in my heart and mind are the desire of my heart and mind to apply with all my heart in loving Him who first loved me (Matthew 22:37-38, 1 John 4:19).  We who are His have this overwhelming longing to follow His judgments at all times, and not just when we feel like doing so.  If we lack that desire at times, we obey and wait by faith for the feelings to catch up (Psalm 119:32).  It is also true that God rebukes those who disobey in their pride, some of whom are cursed as vessels of destruction, but others who simply get caught up in sin and wander off the paths of righteousness.  May we who are vessels of grace quickly rejoin the straight and narrow way when disciplined, praying to be taken away from the due reproach of sin, and keep His commands with a thankful heart saved by grace.  Though others speak against us, I will therefore commit to meditating on God’s word to find delight in Him through hearing Him speak to me there.  He gives only good counsel which is needed for my sanctification, so I meditate all the day long to this end.  Open the eyes of my heart, Lord!  How grateful I am for this reminder every time I read this psalm.