Psalm 9, Giving God Our Whole Heart

Holy God, as I come to you in prayer and meditation on your word, help me to focus my mind only on you. With my whole heart I would seek you. “O Lord my God, teach my heart where and how it may seek you, where and how it may find you.”(5)

Psalm 9

Psalm 9:1 ESV

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

Giving God Our Whole Heart

The God of heaven, the way maker, the King of kings, is to be praised from our whole heart. I die a slow death when I give God partial praise or most of my worship.

My Father was diagnosed with a birth defect that kept his heart from working correctly. One of the valves does not open and close correctly. His body was deprived of the benefit of a whole heart. The older he got the more he noticed how this small flaw made it difficult for him to mow the lawn, go for a walk, or handle stressful situations.

Having most of your heart work is just not enough. So, he had surgery. The doctors removed the damaged tissue with a mechanical valve. This is what kept him alive past the age of fifty.

Twenty five years later the metal valve also began to fail and once again a new valve was inserted into the heart. The recovery process was difficult with my dad in his mid seventies. He went through a deep depression as he struggled to regain his strength after the surgery. A broken heart even one that has been repaired by a surgeon takes time to heal, but in the end sorrow turned to laughter and night became morning again. My dad, a child of God, praised his Fathr above with his whole heart.

God calls his people who were not a people from among the nations. He exalts the poor, he rescues the dyine, and he judges the nations. Pharaohs, kings, and armies pursued God’s people and yet, he made a way for them in the wilderness. God transformed the difficult terrain into a fortress of defense. A new nation out of slaves; a better king from a shepherd boy. And those who thought they could stand toe to toe with God are lfeft for dead and their tombs forgotten.

God has not forgotten the borken, the poor, and the oppressed. He sends his Angel, his Word, and his Power to lead us to a land of promise. He gives us hope in the moment of our desperate need.

Our God reigns. He prevails against all injustice.

Prayer

God, I worship you with my whole heart. I put my full trust in your word. I know that you are always faithful and will care for me, even in my darkest moments. Father, I know sometimes I worry and stress over the very things I have already shared with you. Give me the confidence to trust you even more with all of those worries. Thank you for all your promises. Amen.

(5)Anselm of Canterbury, Ritzema, Elliot, ed. 400 Prayers for Preachers. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012. Print.

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