MAY 6

Psalm 119:17-24
Memorise Psalm 119:18
“Open thou mine eyes…”

After understanding the importance of daily Quiet Time, we now ponder how we should do it and how to gain the most out of it. Again, the Psalmist in Psalm 119 who truly enjoys his Quiet Time and loves God’s Word can give us useful pointers. We will consider these pointers in our next few devotions.

In Psalm 119:18, the Psalmist asks God to open “[his] eyes, that [he] may behold wondrous things out of [God’s] law”. He acknowledges that he is a mere human being who cannot understand spiritual things by his own mind. We are fallen creatures who have had our understanding of spiritual things broken and corrupted by sin. The Bible may just be words to us. We do not naturally see the spiritual aspect of the events in our lives. Such is our fallen nature. A sinful person can read, study or even memorise the whole Bible from start to finish but without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, he will never truly understand or submit to it.

If we realise our fallen nature and that only God Himself can help us understand His Word, we will know that we need to ask God to open our spiritual eyes when we read His Word. It is important to say a prayer before we start our Quiet Time to ask God to teach us by His Holy Spirit as we read His Word. This requires a humble and teachable spirit on our part and we need to learn how to cultivate this. If even the Psalmist, who may be more mature in his faith and understanding compared to us, needs to keep asking God to teach him, then how much more us?

Thought: Do you make it a point to pray to God to help you understand a Bible passage or even a sermon before you read or listen to it?
Prayer: O Lord, “open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law”.