Give Me An Undivided Heart

Lament and Petition —

My first thought was to just present Psalm 86 to you right up front, and then follow with a few ponderings I’ve had since reading the text myself this morning. But then I thought about something that happens at times to humans when they’re reading something in which Scripture is quoted — they quickly pass over the Bible passage (likely for a host of reasons) to get to what the author is on about.

Have you ever done that?

I was hoping you wouldn’t do that here, because God’s words are far more important than any of ours, and certainly mine. So take a few moments and slowly read Psalm 86. And then down below, I’d like to draw our attention to one particular bit of the poem and ponder it a bit, and then finish up with a prayer from one of my favorite pastors and authors.

So here it is.
Psalm 86,
a prayer of David,
in all its glory —

1 Listen, Yahweh, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Protect my life, for I am faithful.
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
3 Be gracious to me, Yahweh,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant’s life,
because I appeal to you, Yahweh.

5 For you, Yahweh, are kind and ready to forgive,
abounding in faithful love to all who call on you.
6 Yahweh, hear my prayer;
listen to my cries for mercy.
7 I call on you in the day of my distress,
for you will answer me.

8 Yahweh, there is no one like you among the gods,
and there are no works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and bow down before you, Yahweh,
and will honor your name.
10 For you are great and perform wonders;
you alone are God.

11 Teach me your way, Yahweh,
and I will live by your truth.
Give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
12 I will praise you with all my heart, Yahweh, my God,
and will honor your name forever.
13 For your faithful love for me is great,
and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol.

14 God, arrogant people have attacked me;
a gang of ruthless men intends to kill me.
They do not let you guide them.,
15 But you, Yahweh, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant;
save the son of your female servant.
17 Show me a sign of your goodness;
my enemies will see and be put to shame
because you, Yahweh, have helped and comforted me.

Maybe read it one more time.

Did you know that there at least 15 petitions from King David in just 17 verses? He’s got quite a bit on his mind, yes?

I’ll bet you have as well.

And I’m thinking that’s why David asks, there in v. 11, for an “undivided heart.”Because, as Eugene Peterson observes, “…concentration is weakened by the distraction of clamoring needs.”

Oh my. That’s so good, and so true! It can be so hard to quiet our minds and our hearts so that we might get our focus on God, and pull all of the scattered energy into a focused beam. And it’s that one petition in v. 11 that Peterson believes can do just that: this “single petition weaving all needs into one prayer: Give me an undivided heart to revere your name. As a harpoon has many barbs but only one point, so this prayer has many petitions but a single thrust.”

Yes! “A single thrust.” And that thrust is a heart and mind utterly committed to the reverence of Yahweh. To operate out of a settled place of trust in him, “You are my God, save your servant who trusts in you.” (v2)

Now let’s close with a prayer, from Peterson, in light of David’s —

God, my soul feels scattered and incoherent like that poor wretch Legion (“for we are many”, Mark 5:2-10).

Gather up my diverse needs, my conflicting desires, my jumbled identity, and make a harmonious whole of me, “give me an undivided heart, to revere your name.”

Yes, and very amen, in Jesus’ name.