"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way."
Psalm 119:37
There
are divers 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 counting-house as in the theatre. If he be
spending his life in amassing wealth, he passes his days in a vain show.
Unless we follow Christ, and make our God the great object of life, we
only differ in appearance from the most frivolous. It is clear that
there is much need of the first prayer of our text. "Quicken thou me in
thy 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 awaiteth 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
thou 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 thou me," cries the soul. This is a fit prayer
for every day. O Lord, hear it in my case this night.Charles Spurgeons
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