Observation: The two phrases that stood out for me in this passage are the continual description of God's "steadfast love", and the humble request to God for "an undivided heart to revere your name."
Application: An "undivided heart" is not something that occurs to me in my prayers. Often my prayer life is centered on intercession: lifting up the urgent concerns of others as they come up. In the rare moments when I do make requests of God on my own behalf, it tends to be asking for help and strength in dealing with a particular day, moment or situation. I don't see anything wrong with that, but I do wonder if the strength and help would come more naturally, day by day, if like the psalmist I asked for "an undivided heart."
If my heart was not so centered on my own perceived agenda (I don't care to think how many emails I already fired off today before remembering to do devotions), but rather let God set the agenda, I feel a lot of my problems would be much more manageable.
If more of my time were devoted to simply reflecting on and taking in who God is--gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love--maybe those attributes would rise up in me, by the Holy Spirit. At the very least I would go through my day more thankfully.
Prayer: God, you are gracious. You are merciful. You are slow to anger. You abound in steadfast love. Give me an undivided heart, to revere you in my thoughts, words and actions. Amen.
If we can 'get right' with God, praising him and aligning ourselves with him, then the day, week, month and year will be better. The agenda will have his seal of approval.
ReplyDeleteIf we can 'get right' with God, praising him and aligning ourselves with him, then the day, week, month and year will be better. The agenda will have his seal of approval.
ReplyDelete