Unite Your Heart in God's Truth

“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.” Psalm 86:11   NASB95

Have you ever had a conflicted heart? Sure, we all have been there at one time or another. A recent case in point is found in the 2010 NFL playoffs. (Being a foreigner in a strange land, I can sense your uneasiness as I broach this delicate subject.) Is it worse to lose a football game in a sudden, unexpected, and shocking way; like the Packers recently did? Or, is it worse to lose a game in which your favorite team was never in the game to begin with, like what recently happened with the Cowboys? Green Bay fans can talk about all the “should-have-been’s” and “what if’s.” Dallas fans are simply left with, “There’s always next season.” So, which is worse? There isn’t a right or wrong answer -- just conflicting opinions, based on the emotions of the moment.

Life is filled with those times when our hearts are conflicted. We imagine how life would be different if we had made different decisions. What if circumstances had been different? What if I had chosen a different path?

IF? When followed by a question mark, that two letter word is the biggest, deepest, and most thought- provoking word in the English language. It is a pointless and futile exercise to try to play the “what if?” game.

The writer of Psalm 86 was conflicted in his heart, too. Did you notice what he prayed in the eleventh verse? “Unite my heart to fear Your name.”  He needed his divided heart to be united in a “reverence” (“fear”) of the Lord’s name. When you recognize the preeminent place God should have in your priorities, your heart will not be conflicted. When Christ rules from the throne of your heart, you will listen to what God wishes to teach you. You will walk in the way of His truth.

It is assuring to know that you are walking on the right path. Proverbs 1:7 teaches, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Walking in God’s knowledge -- God’s truth -- is the same as having a united, conflict-free heart. This doesn’t mean that you will never have difficulties or tough decisions to make. It means that when you make those tough decisions while following the precepts of God, you will not have a divided heart. You can rest confidently, knowing that you are on the right trail in the midst of the thickest forest.

My former associate pastor back in Texas, Eric Garcia, had a saying for those “what if?” times. He would simply say, “It is what it is.” I loved it when he’d say that. It was a gentle reminder that God has brought about the circumstances -- to just trust Him as you go through it, rather than wishing it were something different.             

Love,
Pastor Larry