Getting It Together

“Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: Unite my heart to fear thy name."

Psalm 86:11

Sunday morning, our pastor warned us of the danger of a divided heart. This pull within threatens every believer, in every age group, through every season - and always has.

In Psalm 86, we find David on his knees, praying for help. This shepherd king was no stranger to a fight. But his greatest threats were not on battlefields or in the courts of a king gone crazy. David's greatest battle was his own divided heart.

A psalmist one moment, a murderer the next. A worshipper, and then a deceiver. He longed for God's presence, then longed to please himself. One part of his heart longed to build God a dwelling place; another part longed to build a name for himself. It was a miserable way to live. Familiar with the wonder of being in God's. presence. Experiencing the flood of peace within God's perfect will. Knowing the unexplainable joy of surrender. And yet consistently being enticed back down to the empty, the fleeting, the restless.

What a division within. What a familiar struggle. Our own details are different, depending on what we chase and desire and love. But the result is the same. A piece of us pulled towards this, a part of our love chasing after that. Affections here, there. and everywhere. A divided heart.

This is not a problem David tried to hide from God. A glimpse into David's prayer from Psalm 86 gives us great hope. He cries out for help, as we can too: "Unite my heart."

It's almost as if he admits, "My heart is willing and ready to follow you completely... But the pieces have been so divided among everything else. Could you help me get it back together so I can serve You with all of me?"

Here is the beautiful reality. What God requires and desires of me is my whole heart. And He welcomes me to ask for help giving it to Him.

There's help for a divided heart. Bring your scattered affections and fragmented desires to God. Bring this prayer with you to your knees, not as just words from your mouth but as the cry of your heart: "Unite my heart." If the heart of the king is in God's hands, surely ours is too. He can shape desires, mold motives, and bring back together the pieces of our hearts that have wandered away. Your heart can burn again with a singleness of purpose. The Spirit is more than able to mend a divided heart- when He is invited to.