In Psalm 119:37 the Psalmist prays: “Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways.” This verse admonishes us: if we are going to be “revived” in the ways of the Lord, one of the crucial things we must gain control of is our eyes. He prays: “Turn away my eyes from vanity.” Everything in our lives is to be subject to the Lordship of Christ — even the things we look at.

Sometimes we may feel that it is only what we “do” that we need to control, and that a “look” or a “glance” is harmless. Jesus dispelled that myth in Matthew 5:28, where He told us that to “LOOK on a woman to lust for her” is to commit adultery with her in one’s heart. In the next chapter of The Sermon on the Mount, in :22, Jesus said, “The lamp of the body is the eye.” Your body tends to follow the direction of your eyes. Thus every glance needs to come under the control of the Lord, for often “just a glance” can lead to much more. A “glance” at Facebook may end up distracting you for an hour from a more important task. A “glance” at pornography could lead you to a life of enslavement to a besetting sin. A “glance” at an object could lead you to buy something you can’t afford. And so on. Thus it is vital that we ask God to help us to discipline our eyes. Make these words your own prayer today: “Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways.”