Take a Good Look - Looking at Worthless Things

Psalm 119:37

Turn my eyes away
from looking at
what is worthless,
and revive me
in Your ways.

Did you know that the average American spends 7 hours looking at a screen each day? Our computers and smartphones are used for so many things such as daily work, to-do lists, grocery lists, calendars, and more. But I fear that many of those hours per day are spent on worthless things that waste our time such as games, social media, reels and so much more. Have you ever looked at the screen time analytics on your smartphone?  Many of us struggle to simply take our eyes off of our screens. Social media plays such a prominent role in our culture, and countless people spend time taking long looks at their devices. (I mean, let’s be honest, you are reading this blog ON A SCREEN!) The next time you go to the grocery store, the mall, Starbucks, or even a restaurant, look around at the number of people staring at their phones.

I suppose some of this is normal, especially if you find yourself alone or waiting in a crowd of strangers. It is awkward to sit alone and stare at others, so looking at your phone makes sense. Games can be relaxing and social media can be informative. But so often, we cross a line. We become disconnected from those around us and focus our eyes and minds on vain, empty, worthless or evil instead of things that are edifying, good, godly, wholesome, or pure.

Psalm 119:37 is a cry for help turning our gaze from the worthless to the worthwhile - the Word of God. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible making up a total of 176 verses and its focus is the Word of God. In fact, the Word of God is referred to as law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, and judgments, just to name a few. The Word of God is such a priority in Psalm 119 that you will find it referenced in nearly every verse. Only 5 of the 176 verses do not have a reference to the Word of God. If you have never taken the time to read Psalm 119, I encourage you to do so.

In verses 25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, 154, 156, and 159 you will find the word “revive.” Now, why is this so important?  We will never experience the deep, reviving work of God in our lives apart from the Word of God. We will never sense a freshness in our walk with Christ, a joy in our spirit, or a deepening of our faith without taking the time to look into God’s Word. 

Instead, we often allow our eyes to look at useless, worthless, and even evil things. Psalm 119:37 says, “Turn my eyes away from looking at what is worthless, and revive me in Your ways.” The original meaning of the word “worthless” could also mean things that are false, deceitful, empty, sinful, evil, wicked, and even destructive. One of the tactics of the enemy is to get us to look upon unholy things. His strategy is to fill our mind’s eye with things that drain our spirits, and therefore, darken our hearts. 

Let’s be clear, a fresh walk with Christ, a deep moving of God’s Spirit will not exist when our eyes are focused on sinful, worthless things. What are you filling your eyes with today? Are you looking at things that are unwholesome, destructive, or evil? Are you taking a long look at things that are time-wasters, worthless or empty? Are you intentionally taking a long look into God’s Word? 

You might wonder, “What is the harm in what you are looking at? After all, no one knows.” But Someone does know. God knows. Listen to Proverbs 15:3. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” Remember this, be careful of what you are fixing your gaze upon; for your loving God has His gaze fixed on you, and He is longing for you to gaze on Him so that you can grow closer and deeper in your relationship with Him.

If this is something you struggle with in your life, would you allow me to pray for and with you? Feel free to reach out to me at david@davidsmithministry.com.