AN UNDIVIDED HEART
LORD, GIVE US UNDIVIDED HEARTS (Psalm 86:11) – Integrity (see note) is derived from “integer” (a whole number as opposed to a fraction) and speaks of the quality of being undivided. O, to be men and women of integrity, lights shining in the midst of the darkness in such a way that the world might see our undivided hearts and this would bring glory to our Father Who is in heaven. (Mt 5:16, cf Php 2:15).
A great prayer in 2015 would be to pray (daily) David’s words…
“Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth.
UNITE MY HEART to fear Your Name.”
(Psalm 86:11)
The NIV has “Give me an UNDIVIDED HEART.” Pastor Ray Pritchard paraphrases it “Put me together, Lord, because right now my life is scattered in a thousand directions!” (The Undivided Heart)
An UNDIVIDED HEART, O Lord,
Is what we need each day,
For we are prone to compromise
And wander from Your way.
-D De Haan
The men of the tribe of Zebulon “helped David with an UNDIVIDED HEART” (literally “without a double heart” = undivided loyalty) (1Chr 12:33) They were “all in,” of one heart, all the time, nothing held back.
Spurgeon commenting on Psalm 86:11 said “Having taught me ONE WAY, give me ONE HEART to walk therein, for too often I feel ‘a heart and a heart’ (In Ps 12:2 “double heart” in Hebrew literally = “a heart and a heart”), two natures contending, two principles struggling for sovereignty (Gal 5:17). Our minds are apt to be divided between a variety of objects, like trickling streamlets which waste their force in a hundred rivulets. Our great desire should be to have all our life floods poured into one channel and to have that channel directed towards the Lord Alone. A man of DIVIDED HEART is weak (cf Jas 1:5-8), the man of one object is the man. God Who created the bands of our nature can draw them together, tighten, strengthen, and fasten them, and so braced and inwardly knit by His uniting grace, we shall be powerful for good, but not otherwise. To fear God is both the beginning, the growth, and the maturity of wisdom (Pr 9:10, Job 28:28), therefore should we be undividedly given up to it, heart, and soul (cf Mk 12:29-31).”
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
(Play Fernando Ortega’s vocal)
May we all be motivated by the Spirit (Php 2:13) to imitate men like Paul (1Cor 11:1,Heb 6:11-12) who said “this ONE THING I do. forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Php 3:13-14)
And remember that “the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2Chr 16:9)
Lord, by Your amazing grace and enabled by the power of Your Spirit, give us undivided hearts to fear Your Name, in the Name of Jesus, the Name above all names (Php 2:9-11). Amen
Listen to Rich Mullins great song “My One Thing” that speaks of an UNDIVIDED HEART
Click the link to read a convicting, practical message by Ray Pritchard on “THE UNDIVIDED HEART”
SEE RELATED TOPICS:
Compromise
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