March 16: United

Read Psalm 86:1-13

“Teach me Your Way, O Lord,” the Psalmist writes, “that I may walk in Your truth.”

Have you ever been lost? It’s distressing, and you’re thankful for anyone who will point you in the right direction.

When the Psalmist asks the Lord to “teach” him, he is asking Him to point out the way, or shoot the arrow straight to a sure path. He needs a straight line to walk to get out of the crooked way that has led him into danger.

So far on this Lenten journey, we’ve looked at how sin led us astray, separating us from God. We’ve also seen that God is the only one capable of rescuing us and forgiving our sin. Now, we must let Him show us the way!

The Psalms often have synonymous lines- two parts in one verse that communicate the same idea. Psalm 86:11 does that. The second part, echoing the first, says, “Unite my heart to fear Your name.”

Unite- line up all my affections and concentrate them on Yourself- is similar to teach- point out the straight way!

The heart is the seat of the mind, will, and emotions. These three things are the distinctive characteristics that humans have because we are made in the image of God. The Psalmist is pleading with the Lord to line up his mind, will, and emotions, straighten them out, and concentrate them all where they need to be focused: on the Lord.

My grandmother used to threaten my dad with the line, “I’ll jerk a knot in your tail!” Just the threat straightened all the knots right out.

We know that without the Lord, we’d be a tangled mess. This week, ask Him to unite your heart to love Him!