Pastor's blog

Finding the Pieces in Prayer

Psa. 86:11 - unite my heart (KJV)

Most of what I read in the Scriptures describes God. But here I have found a passage that describes me to God. For it tells me of a personal need with which I am all too familiar, one that results from the fragmenting effects of daily life. Even a momentary crisis may grab a piece of my heart, holding it captive to destructive emotions. All of life seems to conspire against my heart’s desire to remain a healthy whole. In every place where there is stumbling, failure, disappointment, distress, pride, and envy, a piece of my heart is held captive. In a moment of reflective meditation, I may be lifted up by the discovery of some new attribute about God. But today I may be humbled by the words of a plea which could as easily be my own.

Like a skillful doctor who needs only the most relevant of information to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, the psalmist needed only three words to assess the present state of his inner man. His words describe a state of war within. A heart that needs uniting is a heart in conflict, a heart in turmoil. In the psalmist’s words there is a tone of desperation that pleads a mediator to bring things together again. A heart in rebellion is a heart hardened by stubbornness. At one time, the heart of the psalmist knew peace and unity. But something crept in that disturbed the heart’s tranquility. Like a parent who seeks to correct the child that has not been taught to receive correction, the psalmist is frustrated by the heart’s indifference. Oddly, his heart has become comfortable in its disunity.

Someone else must step in to pull together the warring factions of the heart. His peers are not up to this task. Some of them would seize the moment of his weakness to steal that which they find valuable in his heart. Others who value it less would love to see his heart suffer in a state of indecisiveness. One may seek to heal his heart, while another is only interested in playing games with it. Opportunists seek to capitalize on the heart’s divided loyalties so that they may manipulate the heart. One may long to see the psalmist’s heart soar high above the problems in life, while another would find entertainment in seeing it crash and burn. There are those who strengthen the heart and those who weaken it. Maybe, there are some who, with idle curiosity, want to see how the heart responds to crisis. Of all the ways people can influence the condition of one’s heart, the one thing they cannot do is to restore the heart to a healthy whole.

So there is no mistaking to whom these words are spoken. For what we have stumbled upon here is a heart whose pieces are scattered about on the floor of life by the impact of circumstances. Only the mending power of the Holy Spirit can restore a heart to its healthy whole. In a moment of elevated insight, the psalmist has prayed his need. I marvel at the preciseness and the conciseness of his words. The heart that is brought to the Lord in this fashion is a heart that is destined to receive a restorative word from the Lord. And in these three words I have found a model for commending my own heart to the Lord. The most potent benefits of prayer are enjoyed by those whose hearts are most accurately and most fully revealed in prayer.