Day 107
Joshua 15:1‐63; Luke 18:18‐43; Psalm 86:1‐17; Proverbs 13:9‐10
Unite My Heart to Fear Your Name
It’s amazing how hyperactive our hearts can be – flitting from this distraction to that one, from this affection to that one, from this allegiance to that one. David, “a man after God’s own heart,” understood. So he left us one of the most important prayers we can pray: “Unite my heart to fear your Name” (Ps. 86:11). Joshua reminds us of the consequences of not having a united heart to fear God’s name: Judah is unable to liberate the Promised Land completely, and must share Jerusalem with the Jebusites (Josh 15:63). Proverbs 13:9-10 informs us that our lives will either be characterized by light or by dark, by pride that provokes strife or by wisdom that prompts learning. In Luke, Jesus confronts the rich young ruler with a clear choice: own your possessions enough to give them away, or be owned by them.
In praying for a “united heart,” David could have had but the slightest glimmer of what it would eventually take for God to answer, “Yes!” Jesus promises to go to Jerusalem – the same city that Judah had been unable to liberate from the Jebusites, and which under the Romans was still occupied territory – to accomplish the one victory that counts: His death for our life. His scourging for our healing. His being “handed over” that we might be given back our very selves, whole and free to love and serve the Living God.
Dr. Reggie Kidd