Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.

This could be called the prayer of modern man! There are so many worthless things vying for our attention. The devil is putting all he can into provoking “the lust of the eyes.” (1 John 2:16) That’s not just pornography, though that is a scourge that has destroyed and is destroying many, but it also includes the many things we look at that pull our thoughts and our hearts away from God. It is only in God’s path that we have life, as the psalmist recognized, and the devil constantly seeks to get us off of that path. In the OT, “worthless things” is often used to refer to idols, and modern society offers many idols. Entertainment personalities are even called idols! How many people are distracted by them from the kingdom of God? We are in a time of over stimulation, of people being unable to focus and concentrate because they are constantly distracted. We’ve come up with a “diagnosis” of ADD/HD, but often that is just an excuse. The challenge is to pull our eyes and thoughts away from “worthless things” of all sorts and allow God to fill our hearts, our consciousness, with Himself. That means examining the elements of our daily lives from the perspective of the kingdom of God, to see what is of value and what is not. This is not to say that recreation is wrong, or that entertainment must be excluded. It is, however, to say that we are to lay everything on the table before God and let Him pick and choose, and find our true delight in Him.

Talk about dead on! I am all too capable of spending hours on the Internet, with nothing particularly wrong of itself, but nothing advancing my understanding of God and usefulness to Him, either. I do gain useful information that way at times, but balance is urgently called for. And I’m not nearly as addicted as those I see glued to their mobile devices! I’m not to be a “digital prude,” turning my nose up at the whole category of electronic communications, but I am to keep things as tools, focusing on God and how He wants me to use those things. As a pastor, I need to help others do likewise, and the field is much broader than just electronics.

Father, as I write, I realize I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg. Show me how I have turned my attention to worthless things, and help me focus fully and consistently on You. I am often stressed, feeling pulled in several directions at once, and focusing more on You is certainly the answer to that. I acknowledge that I have no strength or wisdom to do it properly on my own, so I ask You to do it in and through me, so that I may lead many onto Your path of life, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!