The Eyes of the Heart
Recorded in Psalm 119 we find meditations and prayers that lift the eyes of our hearts to gaze upon the face of God. Oh, that the eyes of our hearts might be opened to behold the majestic beauty of His law, and that His truth might be inscribed upon our minds. This marvelous chapter is filled with treasures to be hidden in the soul, for by them a man may keep his way pure. May the God of heaven grant us grace to treasure these words, lest we, like Samson, be lulled by the charms of Delilah and awaken in the darkness of disgrace. “Lord, have mercy upon us. Quicken the eyes of our hearts to see the danger of what we look upon. Give us holy desires to seek what is pure and undefiled. Fix our gaze upon the cross, and strengthen us to flee from every corruption.”
The Puritan William Mason wisely wrote: “The eye, though a little member, is yet, perhaps, of all the senses, the greatest inlet to temptation. The first motion to sin entered by seeing. Eve saw the fruit was good and pleasant to the eye. Looking begat longing. So lust was conceived and brought forth sin. Sin, when it was finished, brought forth death upon her and all her posterity. When Satan tempted Jesus, he began the attack by presenting to His view the kingdoms of the world and the glory thereof. Seeing this, we have reason with Job to make a covenant with our eyes and with David to pray daily, ‘Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity.’” Our Lord also taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Truly the eye is a window to the mind, and through it the vanities of the world wage war against the servants of God. For this reason Christ prayed for His disciples: “My prayer is not that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one.”
Believers must therefore remain vigilant, for the affections of our hearts are under constant assault. Scripture warns us, “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another.” This is why we must gird ourselves for battle, taking holy violence against every impure thought. With the sword of God’s living Word, we must strike down Apollyon, the destroyer, who wages war against Christ and His elect.
Consider Solomon, to whom God granted great wisdom. Early in his reign he prayed, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of Yours?” Yet in his later years, his eyes were ensnared by riches and foreign women, and his heart was led astray, bringing division and ruin upon the kingdom of Israel. Likewise, Jesus warns us in the Gospel of Luke: “Remember Lot’s wife.” Genesis records how she turned her gaze back toward Sodom, a city steeped in corruption. So fixed were her affections upon its pleasures that she could not part from them, and God judged her, turning her into a pillar of salt.
Therefore, saints of God, consider your calling. Let not your eyes be captivated by the passions of this world. Lust is a fire that consumes, eroding all sense of truth found in God’s Word. Those who give themselves to it become like lambs led to the slaughter. Let us “lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily entangles us, and… run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
“Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways.”
Psalm 119:37