Undivided Heart
By Cristina Bonanno
“‘Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.’”
A SAUL VS DAVID MINDSET
Psalm 86 was one of the many written by David who, at the time he wrote this, was living in a culture either previously or presently ruled by King Saul, who had a heart divided by his desire to please people rather than God; Saul who was disobedient, acting in his own timing and not God’s, on his own intuition and not God’s leadership, and being entirely unrepentant.
Here, we can see David is opposite in all his intentions, he prays for an undivided heart so that he may fear God’s name and be completely reliant on His guidance and faithfulness, and we know from many of David’s psalms that he had an ever-repentant heart. But in Psalm 86, his focus is on giving God the glory and praise that He deserves, remembering all the good God has done for him and asking the He would give David a sign of His goodness, so that his enemies — who had no regard for the God of Israel and were worshipping other gods — would feel ashamed for mocking David, and could why God deserved all the glory.
Under King Saul, the people he ruled also had divided hearts and worshipped other deities; but David asks to be a beacon of why one should have a whole heart towards the one true God, but also recognises that he cannot set that example on his own, but that it would require God Himself helping David to understand what it means to have one whole, “undivided heart,” towards God.
ALIGNING WITH GOD
In today’s culture, this is an especially relevant psalm and concept. We’re so busy trying to please people we forget to slow down enough to defer to God in this way and still our thoughts long enough to hear His answer, (v.7 “When I am in distress, I call to You, because you answer me.”) We are constantly plagued and targeted by people’s opinions on social media and in the news, we live in a divisive culture that tries to tell us we cannot exist in this life with choosing a side, be it politically, in sports, even in church and ministry, and so on.
We are not meant to be people pleasers, but God-servants: Colossians 3:22-23 says it this way, “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” We have this call to work, no matter our job, in a way that is mindfully dedicated to doing our job as if God Himself asked us to do it. Our culture demands so much of our decision making, time, and opinions; but God loved David and appoints him king over Israel to replace king Saul: David representing holy mindfulness, making time for God in worship and vulnerability, being obedient, and letting God be the King of his heart; Saul representing caving under the pressure of societal norms and expectations, disregarding God’s ways, and letting “the people” be the king over his heart.
So the question is, do we have a whole heart for God to be enthroned upon, or are our hearts divided between God’s plan and people’s opinions?
Is our worship and prayer God-centred and glorifying, or is it divided by the opinions of our culture?
APPLICATION
To be whole hearted towards God is to be in unity with one another as well, we move and breath according to how God leads us, and He will lead us to walk in step with each other. We know this is Jesus’ desire as we read John 17:20-21, “[I ask...] for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that you have sent Me.” In working with MHOP, which is bringing the church and ministry community together in one purpose of lifting up the name of Jesus in the city of Manchester, it is brilliant to see people praying together in one accord and unified in worship.
I want to challenge us, this month, to get into this Davidic mindset of asking God to be the One who gives us a whole heart, to let God be the King of our hearts, to be unified in a God-mindset. How can you make space to let God teach you this month, to rely on God’s faithfulness in your life, to let Him have the access He needs to your heart to make you wholehearted in worship, prayer, actions, and even just your daily job?
REFLECTION
God, align my heart with Your principals and opinion, especially where it is counter cultural; help me to stand for what You value and to glorify Your name in the process, not worrying about the opinions of others. I will worship, pray, and speak without fear of who might be offended by Biblical truths or who might think it strange to have outrageous worship and faith. As did David, I rely on Your faithfulness to guide and direct me and give me the boldness needed to step out in a new confidence in what You stand for and how I will represent that. Amen.
Take a moment to reflect on these questions:
What opinions do I need to lay down to see God’s heart more clearly?
Are peoples’ opinions and perceptions of me holding me back from worshipping or praying with boldness?
