Text

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

Meditation

We are called to be one-kingdom people, which means developing an undivided heart.

Teaching

Yesterday we looked at this Psalm and considered what it means to fear God only. I mentioned that I was most blessed by reading this Psalm backwards. For me, cultivating a holy, reverent fear of God immediately challenges my divided heart. If I truly fear God, the motivation to divide my heart between the Kingdom of God and the things of this world would be driven away from me.

I believe what the enemy was able to accomplish in the Garden of Eden was to drive a wedge in the heart of the first couple. They had been created with the awesome opportunity to love God and God only. It’s unthinkable that they would do anything else. The great German theologian Karl Barth describes the fall as “the impossible possibility.” Although it was possible, it was also incomprehensible. Yet the enemy succeeded by turning Eve’s attention away from complete trust in God and onto the prospect of placing her own needs and desires on the throne of her life. As she contemplated what it might be like to “be like God” her heart became divided.

We re-enact that sin every time our divided heart convinces us to play the Lord over our lives and grab control for ourselves. Once our hearts are divided, once we seek to have loyalty to two kingdoms with two different lords, we will experience fear, stress, anxiety and worry that were never intended to be in the heart of a child of God.

How do we reclaim an undivided heart? For me, it comes through worship. That is, it comes from a willful act of total submission to the sovereign God and Creator of all things. It really comes back to a holy fear of God; that awesome, overwhelming understanding of God’s ultimate control of all things. From that fear comes trust, faith and a deep-seated desire to walk according to his will in obedience and joy. When that kind of reverence and worship overwhelms us, it will drive from our heart every competing loyalty.

Where has your heart been divided?

Action

There is a saying in politics but if you want to know the real reason why someone speaks, acts or votes in a certain way, “follow the money.” I believe there is a parallel here in this lesson. If you want to figure out where in your life you have compromise, conformity and disobedience, “follow the fear.” What you fear will lead you back to what you love, what you worship, and in what (or whom) you put your trust. So the challenge in this lesson today is to follow your fears, your stresses your worries your anxieties back to their source. When you arrive there, acknowledge your undivided heart and pray that the fear of God and God alone may overwhelm you.

Prayer

Gracious and Loving Lord, I confess to you today that I have a divided heart. I have allowed the things of this world to creep into my spirit, to become the object of my focus, the center of my attention and the source of my fear. If I follow my fear it leads me back to so many things in my life that I have not submitted to you. I don’t know why I hold on so tightly when you offer me freedom. I deeply long for an undivided heart. I pray that you would begin to work in me to help me reclaim such a heart, and let that work begin with a love and fear for you that drives out everything else from my spirit. Lord, give me an undivided heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Text

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

Meditation

We are called to be one kingdom people, which means cultivating a holy, reverent fear of God.

Teaching

Psalm 86:11 carries great meaning for me. I first really focused on this verse while on a recent trip to Hong Kong. Early one morning while going through my e-mail I received a deeply disappointing piece of news. I was physically shook. Knowing that I had several speaking engagements coming up (ironically enough, on the subject of trust in God) I shut my laptop off, opened my Scripture, and began to read and prayed. It was during those moments that my eyes found this wonderful psalm and it changed my heart, my attitude and my mindset.  It set me free to finish the week well and it continues to be a source of blessings and challenge.

There is so much in this simple Scripture that we will use it as a text for the next three devotions.  For me, the centerpiece is found in the third line, “give me an undivided heart.” I have found that for me this verse speaks most powerfully if it is read backwards. Here’s why. The reason that I have a divided heart is because I don’t really, fully fear God and God alone. So I start there and asked the question ‘what does it mean to fear the name of God?’

There is an old phrase that goes, “if you fear God you will fear nothing else; if you do not fear God you will fear everything else.” I find that to be very true of my life. 365 times in Scripture we are told, “fear not.” So why do I still fear things like financial downturns, health challenges, the loss of loved ones, failure in our work, loss of reputation, and more? To the extent that we fear these things we live with a divided heart. This is the reason we build second kingdoms. We want to have control over those things we fear, believing if we have the power over them, we can drive away the fear. Of course the opposite happens. The more we try to control the more we realize how little control we have, which causes us to fear all the more.

The first question that arises from this text is simply this, “what do you fear today?” Fearing God does not mean terror or dread, but being overwhelmed by his sovereignty, his awesomeness and his authority over every area of our life. Here’s the irony – a proper fear of the Lord is our greatest comfort. It drove Paul to ask in Romans, “if God is for us, who can be against us?”

What will it require for you to cultivate such a holy, reverent fear of God that all other fear will be driven from your life?

Action

Find a Bible concordance and look up 10 versus that have the term “fear not” in them. Meditate on them today and ask God to cultivate in your heart and awesome fear of him that drives out all other fear.

Prayer

Awesome and Holy God, I confess that I have made you very small in my life. If you were to give me a tiny glimpse for one brief moment of your true majesty it would drive me to my knees in holy fear and humble worship. I do not fear who you are, because I know your heart. I know that you love me dearly, that I am precious in your site. But I do not want to lose the sense of awe and wonder that comes from understanding your Holiness. Cultivate in my heart a proper fear of you. Help me to become so overwhelmed by your Majesty that my heart has no place remaining for the fear of anything else. Set me free from all other fear for your amazing love. In your mighty and awesome name I pray, Amen.

Text

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

 Meditation

We choose everyday where (or in whom) we will place our trust. It cannot be divided up among several recipients.  It is either solely in God or it is not.

Teaching

There is an old joke about the man who fell over the side of a cliff and was able to grab a small branch. As he dangled over the chasm he looked to the heavens and cried out,  “Is there anyone up there who can help me?” Three times he called out and no one answered. Suddenly the heavens parted in the voice of God rang out, “I will help you but you must trust me.  I want you to let go of the branch.” The man looked down to the ravine below him, considered his options, then look back to heaven and yelled, “is there anyone else up there who can help me?”

So it is in our walk with God. We ask for help, he responds with an invitation but always requires a step of faith, an act of ultimate trust in him. In almost every case trusting God requires us to take steps that seem illogical, countercultural and uncomfortable. That is the nature of faith and trust. Our text from Proverbs reminds us that trusting God will often require that we set aside “our own understanding.” That is we will be required to reject “the way we would do it” and embrace wholly the direction to which God is calling us. Adam and Eve faced exactly that choice. They were given the opportunity to enjoy the overwhelming beauty and abundance of the garden God created for them.  All that was required is that they trust God and not eat of the one tree that grew in the center of the garden.  That was it.  “Enjoy all I have created for you, and trust me that you do not need or want the fruit of the forbidden tree.”

We know how the story ends.  How about for you?  What step of faith, what act of trust is God asking of you?  Will you set aside your own understanding and trust in him?  Even if it means letting go of your branch?

Action

This is time for absolute honesty with your self. Answer this question: “If I absolutely, completely and unreservedly trusted in God for my life, my health, my finances and my future, here is one thing I would do differently today: ______________________________________.”

Now that you have named it, what will you do about it?

 Prayer

Gracious Lord, I confess that I love to cling to my own understanding. Letting go and trusting you is so very difficult for me. I pray for faith to take this step that you are calling me to take today. I know how differently my life would be if I really trusted in you for everything, and I want that life, Lord. I’m tired of compromising my faith and placing conditions on my trust in you. I want to be all in, holding nothing back, completely submitted. I can’t do this on my own, I know because I’ve tried and failed so often. But I claim the promise that through you I can do all things. So give me the strength and the courage to step boldly in the direction that you’re calling me. Fill me with a new level of trust in you that I have never known before. Help me Lord, to trusting you with all my heart, and not lean on my own understanding. I give myself back to you for that purpose, in Jesus’ name. Amen.