Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name forever.
Ps. 86:11
Ps. 86:11
It has been a delightfully busy couple of weeks. There has been many ups and downs. There has been plenty of opportunities to veer off the path of walking with God in newness of life.
Can you relate?
I think this verse from Psalm 86 speaks into the busyness of our lives. It is a prayer for wholeness in the midst of a chaos that can fragment our lives. The psalmist cries out, "Unite my heart to fear your name forever!"
Can you relate?
I think this verse from Psalm 86 speaks into the busyness of our lives. It is a prayer for wholeness in the midst of a chaos that can fragment our lives. The psalmist cries out, "Unite my heart to fear your name forever!"
Unite my heart.
What does this mean? Why do we need it?
The very real human condition is most often marked by self-reliance. We seek to create our own reality by imposing our will on nature, others, and ourselves. We strive to create order in our surrounding chaos.
The problem is that without a framework of understanding the universe and our place in it, we can easily build on the wrong foundations and in the wrong place. We can strive to impose our will, or try to impose our will, in ways that go against who we were created to be. This means that we actually work against our interests by working for our own self-interests.
This is not a good irony. I have found that building a life without regard to where we build or consideration of the foundations upon which we build upon leads to disappointment. It also leads to anxiety, fear, depression, control issues, self-reliance, self-righteousness, and pride.
The problem is that without a framework of understanding the universe and our place in it, we can easily build on the wrong foundations and in the wrong place. We can strive to impose our will, or try to impose our will, in ways that go against who we were created to be. This means that we actually work against our interests by working for our own self-interests.
This is not a good irony. I have found that building a life without regard to where we build or consideration of the foundations upon which we build upon leads to disappointment. It also leads to anxiety, fear, depression, control issues, self-reliance, self-righteousness, and pride.
Unite my heart, O Lord.
How?
Unite it so we build upon the foundation of a direct and real relationship with the true God. No more pretending and half-measures. Instead, we live a life marked by active repentance and faith. This is what the Psalmist called for with the prayer "teach me your way, O Lord."
Unite it so we build our life in the right place with the right priorities. This means that we discover and then hold unto being the person God made us to be. In our fallen world, we get so confused and befuddled. Our world system, our upbringing, our own envy of the life of others can easily pull us toward living a false life build in the wrong place. If we have build in the wrong place, we need to confess and seek God's guidance. This is that the Psalmist called for with the prayer, "that I may walk in your truth."
I am so thankful that it is never too late if we wake up and find that we built a life on the wrong foundation or in the wrong place. The first step to a united heart is to cry out to God for mercy and grace. Such crying out is also the starting place for every subsequent time we need to have God unite our heart. Ask Him to establish or re-establish you on the right foundation. Ask Him to guide you into building the right place. Such humble prayers the Lord always answers.
Unite it so we build our life in the right place with the right priorities. This means that we discover and then hold unto being the person God made us to be. In our fallen world, we get so confused and befuddled. Our world system, our upbringing, our own envy of the life of others can easily pull us toward living a false life build in the wrong place. If we have build in the wrong place, we need to confess and seek God's guidance. This is that the Psalmist called for with the prayer, "that I may walk in your truth."
I am so thankful that it is never too late if we wake up and find that we built a life on the wrong foundation or in the wrong place. The first step to a united heart is to cry out to God for mercy and grace. Such crying out is also the starting place for every subsequent time we need to have God unite our heart. Ask Him to establish or re-establish you on the right foundation. Ask Him to guide you into building the right place. Such humble prayers the Lord always answers.
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