“Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”
Psalm 86:11, KJV
A living child cannot be divided and still remain alive.
In 1 Kings 3:16-28, two women came before Solomon with one living child. Each woman claimed that the child belonged to her. To reveal the true mother, Solomon commanded that the living child should be divided in two.
The false mother was satisfied. She did not truly love the child. If she could not have him, she was willing for him to be destroyed. But the true mother cried out for the child to be spared, even if it meant losing him.
Christ, the true Lover of hearts, will not have the heart divided.
This makes David’s prayer worth praying by everyone who loves the Lord:
“Unite my heart to fear thy name.”
David understood something very important. The heart can be scattered. The heart can be pulled in many directions. A man may want God and still be drawn by the world. He may desire holiness and still be tempted by sin. He may want to obey God and still be fighting with self-will, pride, lust, fear, and unbelief.
So David did not only pray, “Teach me thy way.” He also prayed, “Unite my heart.”
A divided heart is a dangerous thing. It wants Christ, but not fully. It wants holiness, but not if it costs too much. It wants the blessing of God, but not the surrender God requires. It wants the comfort of religion, but not the rule of Christ.
Half-hearted religion may look safe for a while, but it is spiritually deadly. The devil does not mind half of the heart, because half of the heart is enough to ruin the whole life. But Christ will not share the throne of the heart with sin. He loves truly, and because He loves truly, He calls for the whole heart.
This does not mean your heart must be perfect before you come to God. It means you must come honestly.
Bring the weak heart. Bring the wandering heart. Bring the struggling heart. Bring the heart that still needs cleansing and strengthening. But bring it whole.
Do not give God your words while your desires remain elsewhere. Do not give Him worship while withholding obedience. Do not give Him Sunday while keeping the rest of the week for yourself.
Pray like David:
“Lord, unite my heart.”
Bring all the scattered pieces back under the fear of God. Let my thoughts, desires, choices, plans, affections, and ambitions bow before Him. Teach me Your way, and give me a heart that walks in Your truth.
The Lord who asks for your heart is also able to unite it. The Christ who says, “Give me thine heart,” is ready to cleanse it, gather it, rule it, and make it wholly His own.
Prayer
Lord, teach me Thy way, and help me to walk in Thy truth. Unite my heart to fear Thy name. Deliver me from a divided heart, from half-hearted obedience, and from secret love for the world. Take every scattered affection and bring it under Your rule. Make my heart whole before You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Further Reading
1 Kings 3
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