Undivided

Who sold us on a divided heart?  It's sadly impressive. We sing and feel one way on Sunday and talk and act another way on Monday.  It seems that the combination of God's grace and our capacity to compartmentalize produces tolerance in us.  In fact, we get so accustomed to it that we no longer identify it as a problem. Surely God understands?

We need to be careful not to equate tolerance with grace.  Tolerance is a neutralizing energy that blurs the line between right and wrong.  Grace is an empowering energy that differentiates right and wrong. God is not tolerating our sin when He graciously extends forgiveness.  He is not endorsing a divided heart.  He is actually providing the means to heal it.

In Psalm 86:11 the psalmist asks God specifically to "give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name."  The verb yachad used here is rather rare in the Hebrew Scriptures only occurring 2 other times (Genesis 49:6 and Isaiah 14:20).  The word literally means "to unite."

I am caught by two observations.  First, only God can unite a divided heart. The Psalmist is crystal clear.  He does not ask God to assist him in uniting his heart. He pointedly asks God to just do it.  John Calvin said, "Our hearts are factories for idols." Well guess what?  Only God can shut down the factory.  If left to our ingenuity, we will find ourselves with hearts that constantly desire and chase the lesser ways of this world.  But God can fix that.

And secondly, the purpose of a united heart is to "fear (respect) the name of the Lord."  A divided heart breeds disrespect and lack of fear of the Lord.  We assume there is no long-term consequence for our inconsistencies.  But a united heart brings back into focus the holiness of God.  We are once again captured by the presence of God in our lives, longing to remain in His goodness and righteousness.  A united heart breeds joy and desire for the higher ways of God.    

A tired soul occurs when a heart is constantly tugged in contradictory directions.  We are lulled into believing that it takes no toll on us.  But than we experience a united heart and suddenly realize how sick we were.  And life returns to our aching bones. Why did we wait so long?

Ex nihilo,

R.J. Rhoden