The Apple of God’s Eye

By David Free, Deacon

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.” (Psalm 17: 8)

King David, the writer of the Bible verse above, prays to the Lord, asking Him to keep him as the apple of His eye. To be the apple of someone’s eye clearly means that we are being gazed upon and watched closely by that person. 

So when David asked God to “keep me as the apple of Your eye,” he was asking God to keep an eye on him and not lose sight of him. David was asking that God would regard him as one would a cherished child, the object of great affection. And because he was the apple of God’s eye, David also asked for God’s protection: Hide me in the shadow of Your wings. Just as a mother bird protects her young by covering them with her wings, David was seeking shelter. David knew, even as he was making these heartfelt requests, that God would answer his prayer. He was confident that God would show him the wonders of His great love.

We can have that same confidence that David had. We, too, can be assured that God hears our prayers. We can know that He will answer them. And because we are the apple of His eye, we know that He will protect us. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean we will escape from every painful circumstance and difficulty that comes our way. But it does mean that as cherished ones in His sight, God will guide us through those circumstances and help us withstand them.

So today, let’s pray that He will keep us as the apple of His eye, that He will hide us in the shadow of His wings. That whatever our current yoke happens to be––fear of disease, financial situation, relationships––we can have faith, just as David did, that He will see us as the apple of His eye and hide us under His wing, offering us safety from the woes of the world.

Prayer: Loving Father, I pray that You will look at me and smile, then claim me as the apple of Your eye. I will follow Your statutes, I will live the life You intend me to live, I will love as Your son loved. I will do Your bidding - all for the privilege of being the apple of your eye. But when I am weak, when faith and hope grows dim, please Father, hide me in the shadow of your wings. I am only a child and desperately need Your guidance and Your love to weather the storm. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Bible trivia: Do you know that the phrase “the apple of His eye” appears in four different books in the Bible? You can find it in Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, and Zechariah.

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