Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death
The sincere confession of needing God is noticed here. There’s this pleading of the psalmist to hear his cry for life. “Sleep” is a sign of inactivity, rest, spiritual dullness and slothfulness, lack of watchfulness or death itself. Here the Psalmist prays to God to help him in his struggle against the enemies attack. The enemies have ways of tormenting us in the persons of humans and troubling our minds and hearts with bitter feelings of hatred and anger. There can also be times when the enemy of our souls attack our mind-set with negative emotions of failures, pride and jealousy. The continuing struggle with deep-seated sins can also famish us in our battle for life and joy. The prayer for enlightenment of the eyes implies the state of being revived to see things clearly in the midst of darkness and despair.
When we are surrounded by gloom and distress, it is the emission of the rays of hope, joy and faith that will lead us through the dark days of our life. The Psalmist does not pray for the annihilation of his enemies or struggles outside but the light of life within. It is not the outside storms but the inside chaos that needs to be dealt with first. A person tends to die on the inside before it shows on the outside. Therefore, the psalmist prays for God to give him the light of hope, faith and joy within to battle the fierce storms of raging seas on the outside.
Prayer: Lord, give light to my eyes and I will not sleep in death, amen.
