An Undivided Heart

I found myself singing an old hymn just a few days ago.  They old hymn is entitled, "Come, Thy Fount of Every Blessing."  The writer of that old hymn says, "Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my WANDERING HEART to thee."  He goes on to say, "Prone to WANDER, Lord, I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love."  And finally, the writer says, "Here I raise my Ebenezer.  Here by Thy great help I've come."  This is a song that I grew up singing in my church.  And though we don't sing it as much today as we used to, this song is still just as powerful today.  

I recently preached a short series on Sunday evenings entitled, "It's All About the Heart."  Throughout the Bible, we find that every word we speak and every action we take is the overflow of what is in our hearts.  When I speak of the "heart," I am not talking about the organ of the body that pumps blood throughout the body.  I am talking about the core of who we are physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Our heart is the center of who we are and how we live.  In the Bible, David is known as "a man after God's own heart."  This does not mean that David was perfect.  The Bible is clear that only Jesus is perfect; everyone else sins and falls short of the glory of God.  No, David was not perfect, but he did strive to walk with God daily and to please God with his words and his actions.  David knew his heart; he knew the fleshly longings and desires that pulled him in every direction.  David knew his heart was divided.  What did he do?  He cried out to God and asked God for help.  I love Psalm 86.  In Psalm 86:1, David says, "Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy."  He goes on to ask God for guidance, for mercy, and for joy.  He reminds himself of God's presence, God's goodness, God's forgiveness, and God's marvelous deeds.  In Psalm 86:11, David cries out to God, "Teach me your way Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an UNDIVIDED HEART, that I may fear your name."

I don't know about you, but I certainly have a divided heart.  I have fleshly longing and desires that pull me away from God, that pull me away from my family, and that pull me away from my friends.  David had many enemies, but his chief enemy was Satan.  My chief enemy is Satan.  He wants to steal, to kill, and to destroy me!  Satan wants me to have a divided heart.  He knows that if my heart is divided then God doesn't have it all, and God wants all of my heart, all of my mind, all of my soul, and all of my strength.  If God doesn't have all of my heart, then I cannot properly fear His name.  When an enemy of God "fears the Lord," it refers to "terror."  However, when a child of God "fears the Lord," it refers "worship, honor, respect, and awe."  I have been crying out to God these past few weeks these same words of David: "Teach me your way Lord."  "Give me an UNDIVIDED HEART."  I know that I am poor and needy.  I know that my enemy, Satan, is after me.  I know that I cannot defend myself.  I need God!  I rely on His faithfulness, not my own!  My prayer is that God will give me an UNDIVIDED HEART so that I might fear Him.  In doing so, God will guide me in His ways.  He will help me be the husband my wife needs, the father my children need, and the pastor my church needs.  Am I perfect?  No.  Will I ever be perfect?  No.  However, through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and through repentance and faith in Him, I am forgiven and set free!  I can live the life God created me to live.  And like the writer of the old hymn, "Come, Thou Found of Every Blessing" says, I am raising my Ebenezer (my Stone of help) daily.  From where does my help come?  It comes from Jesus who loves me so!!!  Greater is He (Jesus) who is in me than he (Satan) who is in the world!!!