By Bill Crowder, Our Daily Bread Writer

PHOTO: Psalm 141
hear my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat their delicacies.
Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me — it is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers.
Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge — do not give me over to death.
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
from the traps set by evildoers.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.
Cracked Lenses
I started wearing glasses when I was ten years old. They are still a necessity because my fifty-something eyes are losing their battle against time. When I was younger, I thought glasses were a nuisance - especially when playing sports. Once, the lenses of my glasses got cracked while I was playing softball. It took several weeks to get them replaced. In the meantime, I saw everything in a skewed (suddenly change direction or position) and distorted way.
In life, pain often functions like cracked lenses. It creates within us a conflict between what we experience and what we believe. Pain can give us a badly distorted perspective on life - and on God. In those times, we need our God to provide us with new lenses to help us see clearly again. That clarity of sight usually begins when we turn our eyes upon the Lord. The psalmist encouraged us to do this: "My eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord, in you I take refuge" (Psalm 141:8). Seeing God clearly can help us see life's experiences more clearly.
As we turn our eyes to the Lord in times of pain and struggle, we will experience His comfort and hope in our daily lives. He will help us to see everything clearly again.
- Bill Crowder
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Picture modified by realistic broken glass effect at https://funny.pho.to/broken-glass-effect/#
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/384424518213867398/
hear my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat their delicacies.
Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me — it is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers.
Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge — do not give me over to death.
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
from the traps set by evildoers.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.

PHOTO: But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge — do not give me over to death.
Picture posted by Vimala Praisy
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/96/39/c2/9639c2de6de9bf6ece6471850a50d0a0.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/22236591906817736/
Cracked Lenses
I started wearing glasses when I was ten years old. They are still a necessity because my fifty-something eyes are losing their battle against time. When I was younger, I thought glasses were a nuisance - especially when playing sports. Once, the lenses of my glasses got cracked while I was playing softball. It took several weeks to get them replaced. In the meantime, I saw everything in a skewed (suddenly change direction or position) and distorted way.

PHOTO: I started wearing glasses when I was ten years old. They are still a necessity because my fifty-something eyes are losing their battle against time. When I was younger, I thought glasses were a nuisance - especially when playing sports. Once, the lenses of my glasses got cracked while I was playing softball. It took several weeks to get them replaced. In the meantime, I saw everything in a skewed (suddenly change direction or position) and distorted way.
Picture posted by Aung Gyi
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmkoPEUcbRdxURJHcNzYOzSzhoMc93yBwz3XBDy-4uFJSm7NOwLFC9O4h_fQPQiLMppG0ioxYdnEYVtGXopOFDsb3yb4zTIE785JuqL6NTE0qNGCLJojZ8E8v6gQXn8UFnq20m9F72ePIuEz9_mx1L96KSpOolv4-5RjGOz0NwIWhW6QzxD0pMesZtPA/s1279/9c81ff860a16d5f1ca871eae7a1871ae_1.png
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9c/81/ff/9c81ff860a16d5f1ca871eae7a1871ae.png
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https://in.pinterest.com/pin/1111544751846600303/
In life, pain often functions like cracked lenses. It creates within us a conflict between what we experience and what we believe. Pain can give us a badly distorted perspective on life - and on God. In those times, we need our God to provide us with new lenses to help us see clearly again. That clarity of sight usually begins when we turn our eyes upon the Lord. The psalmist encouraged us to do this: "My eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord, in you I take refuge" (Psalm 141:8). Seeing God clearly can help us see life's experiences more clearly.

PHOTO: In life, pain often functions like cracked lenses. It creates within us a conflict between what we experience and what we believe. Pain can give us a badly distorted perspective on life - and on God. In those times, we need our God to provide us with new lenses to help us see clearly again. That clarity of sight usually begins when we turn our eyes upon the Lord.
Picture posted by flowersong🦋
Picture modified by DeeVid AI AI Image Generator and Editor at https://deevid.ai/ai-image-generator?utm_id=nano-banana2&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=c-image-editor&utm_term=image-editor&utm_content=pc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22975581494&gclid=Cj0KCQiAosrJBhD0ARIsAHebCNrufq9eW7Fhr7xvvp-a5Uz1zNiWfS64fXWvRy5cRx_MT0ZpxmrYjPkaAuTTEALw_wcB
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As we turn our eyes to the Lord in times of pain and struggle, we will experience His comfort and hope in our daily lives. He will help us to see everything clearly again.
- Bill Crowder

PHOTO: As we turn our eyes to the Lord in times of pain and struggle, we will experience His comfort and hope in our daily lives. He will help us to see everything clearly again.
Picture posted by Vins Antonius s
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzY0aPlqXfF5kaYsG0YU8M9Jg_4dmdZL1GIzQBVDNjYLhEuI5UVJxh0oMGwNGnTnwgtHMOIsmYbLOJYagyaRlN0mt6DLEP7UnS4WOJWCSzCBHxnk7COJH-NyIqsvpBAEezSq_VRw2-QSpr1H_kKdvrzbJ6UjrkCoxDmH5qC-SV7se3LWCy8Q57lpdiDM/s2048/dad50c0538031fedfd92559df4070653_11.png
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PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that as we turn our eyes to the Lord in times of pain and struggle, we will experience His comfort and hope in our daily lives. He will help us to see everything clearly again.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by BBaster25
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2jg6uKrUTNxzIYEP8Sa-G_nYuvVTGnjnsYuh9WIiNSF_LBao49mkIyYr8Mif09Ns8PwkQrd_mwaTA0YaMwEvIPTNCTKf3wMHoNC0CCgpnvw2GlLNeeM5C3t1hikaMvcCT8vejx84I0Tvx8AZRJ8_9t8fL7e0vcho45zaIqiLQIcQ0Q-HsvQor9Fi8Iw/s1440/40dad2c2342b47163c5319bd13691ab9_1.png
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Reflection - Psalm 141 - Cracked Lenses
Source (book): "My Soul Thirsts For God", Reflections on the Psalms from Our Daily Bread, Psalm 141, "Cracked Lenses", Page 176.
By Bill Crowder, Our Daily Bread Writer

Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html
"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html
"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
"Teach Us to Number Our Days", © 2008 by David Roper

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-41.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/08/reflection-he-walks-with-me-links.html
"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 1 - 45 (Links), posted on 03 April 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/04/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-1-45.html
"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 24 October 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/10/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-46-90.html
"Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 1 - 28 (Links), posted on Saturday, 04 August 2024
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/08/reflection-making-all-things-new.html
"Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 29 - 52 (Links), posted on Saturday, 15 March 2025
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2025/03/reflection-making-all-things-new.html

Reflection - My Soul Thirsts For God, Verse 1 - 46 (Links) on Monday, 25 August 2025
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2025/08/reflection-my-soul-thirsts-for-god.html
New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Psalm 141:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20141%3A8&version=NIV
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- https://funny.pho.to/broken-glass-effect/#
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