Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. Psalm 119.23
The famous nineteenth century poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a poem entitled Ozymandius. In the poem a traveler encounters two huge legs of stone in the desert. The torso has been broken off and is missing. Near the legs, half buried in the sand is a proud, broken stone head and not too far from the head a pedestal. On the pedestal these words are inscribed: “My name is Ozymandius, king of kings: look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” The poem goes on to read that nothing of the great empire that once stood remains only the broken statue and lone and level sands that stretch far away. As Christians, we must always remember that only the things we do for God will last.
The psalmist asks God to turn his eyes away from looking at worthless things. We too need to guard against pursuing things we think are important today but in the grand scheme of things have no value. Relationships are more important than things. Health is more important than accomplishments. Human contact is more important than an email. In these action-packed days in our 24/7 world we have to make significant time to focus on the things of God.
My prayer for you today is that you balance the meaningless with the meaningful.
Deacon Larry Woodard
The famous nineteenth century poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a poem entitled Ozymandius. In the poem a traveler encounters two huge legs of stone in the desert. The torso has been broken off and is missing. Near the legs, half buried in the sand is a proud, broken stone head and not too far from the head a pedestal. On the pedestal these words are inscribed: “My name is Ozymandius, king of kings: look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” The poem goes on to read that nothing of the great empire that once stood remains only the broken statue and lone and level sands that stretch far away. As Christians, we must always remember that only the things we do for God will last.
The psalmist asks God to turn his eyes away from looking at worthless things. We too need to guard against pursuing things we think are important today but in the grand scheme of things have no value. Relationships are more important than things. Health is more important than accomplishments. Human contact is more important than an email. In these action-packed days in our 24/7 world we have to make significant time to focus on the things of God.
My prayer for you today is that you balance the meaningless with the meaningful.
Deacon Larry Woodard
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