The Apple Of Your Eye

Unexpectedly, my eye was caught by this verse at Midday prayer: “Keep me as the apple of your eye”. (Psalm 17:8) At this moment I deeply realized what I had experienced often before: how much God protects and keeps me, like the apple of his eye. How do we protect our eyes? Nature has provided for it: There is the eyelid, very close to our eyes that allows us to close our eyes and even provide for moisture. But, also, if somebody would attack my face or my eyes, my reflexes would work right away, and with arms and hands I would protect myself.

The eye is one of the most vulnerable parts of our body. If we appeal to God to protect us, we point to our most vulnerable part, saying: Please, protect me where I am most vulnerable, because without you, I am not protected enough. At the same time, we call upon God that he might protect us like HIS eye. That is interesting. I don’t want to go into the question whether or not God has eyes he must protect, but with this prayer we ask him to treat us and take care of us as if we would be the most precious part of himself.

We truly are most precious to God. And this is why he protects us. I had many, many instances in which I thought: Now he and his angels have protected me—from near accidents or from making wrong decisions. He protected me more than I could expect. At those moments I realized I am like the apple of his eye. Sometimes I ask children in a sermon: How are the angels, small or tall? The children know exactly: there are small ones and there are tall ones. Imagine your car is at risk to run off the road, a tiny angel could not stop it. Angels must be tall at times. This is how God protects us: powerfully, like our arms and hands in a reflex to protect the eyes; and also tenderly, like the eye-lid that carefully closes.

Dear Lord, let me always be open and thankful for my guardian angels. Let me never forget that you love me more than I ever could, that you look further, that you know more. You want my life, intact and full. Watch over me and keep me from everything that could harm or hurt me. Please, keep me from hurting others or myself.