06-12-13 With All Your Heart

Psalm 86:11-13 "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."

I remember once when I was in a very low place emotionally and mentally. I sensed the Presence of the Lord and I said, "I have nothing to give You." He replied, "I'll take anything you have." You know, things like my heart, my mind, my will - those 'small' things.

When we're in "those" kinds of places - we pretty much have to go by faith that the Lord is near to the broken-hearted and a crushed spirit He will not destroy (Psalm 34:18). The other alternative is to lean on others' faith around us to help us hold on to hope. It's not just the angels that bear us up so we don't trip over a rock and land on our faces (Psalm 91), it's friends who have the faith to hold us up in prayer and carry us to Jesus' feet. It's Jesus who intercedes for us - saying something like, "Father, Your Daughter (Your Son), My Bride - have mercy on them and extend Your grace and love to them. They really do believe Your promises, but they have not achieved perfection as I have. I know and believe that they are worthy of Your love, they wear the cloak of righteousness purchased by My Blood." Father looks up at that and surrounds us with His glory so that nothing and no one can harm us while we are in that state. Whether it's grief or depression or whatever, He protects us while we are in process of dealing with it with Him.

We don't have to 'feel' anything to praise the Lord. Sometimes we have to step out in faith and do it anyway, remembering what He has done in the past for us by lifting us out of realm of the dead and remembering His promises to us. This is how our divided hearts become undivided - by remembering Who He is and what He has done; so that we honor and revere His Name. Then we can offer that sacrifice of praise, even when we don't feel like it.

Lord, please give us undivided hearts so that we may fear Your Name. Let it be that we worship and praise you in faith when our emotions 'don't feel like it' because You are always worthy of our praise and honor and thanks and worship. Let us praise you will our whole heart, even if our 'whole' heart doesn't seem like much to give - even when we think that there is nothing there to give. Bless those times when we give the 'next to nothing' we have just because You are Who You are. In Jesus' Name. So Be It.

Yet I Will Praise You - Vineyard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QjlUDAx53c