"Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity;
 and quicken me in Your way." Psalm 119:37

"Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity"
There are diverse kinds of vanity. The cap and
bells of the  fool, the mirth of the world, the
dance, the lyre, and the cup of the dissolute;
all these men know to be vanities; they wear
upon their forefront their proper name and title.

Far more treacherous are those equally vain things:
the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of
riches. A man may follow vanity as truly in the
shop as in the theater. If he is spending his life in
amassing wealth, he passes his days in vanity.

Unless we follow Christ, and make our God
the great object of life, we only differ in
appearance, from the most frivolous of people.
 

"Quicken me in Your way."
The Psalmist confesses that he is
dull, heavy, lumpy, all but dead!

Perhaps, dear reader, you feel the same.
We are so sluggish that the best motives
cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord Himself.
What! will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of
sinners perishing, and yet not be awakened?
Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think of
the reward that awaits the righteous, and
yet be cold?   Will not death quicken me?
Can I think of dying, and standing before my
God, and yet be slothful in my Master's service?
Will not Christ's love constrain me? Can I think
of His dear wounds, can I sit at the foot of His
cross, and not be stirred with fervency and zeal?

It seems so! No 'mere consideration' can
quicken us to zeal, but God Himself must
do it, hence the cry, "Quicken me."

The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in
vehement pleadings; his body and his soul
unite in prayer.
"Turn away mine eyes," says the body.
"Quicken me," cries the soul.

This is a fit prayer for every day.
O Lord, hear it in my case this day.