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.

Psalm 86:11-12 (NIV)

Having an undivided heart recently became a goal of mine. What does that even mean? I decided to earnestly seek answers from God.

“Teach me your way, Lord” tells me I should be teachable. “Teachable” allows me to learn about and have confidence in God’s faithfulness. Then I can live like I believe it.

“Give me an undivided heart; that I may fear your name.” Training my heart to focus on him reduces the confusion and chaos in my life. It allows me to “fear his name.” That does not mean becoming immobile in fear. It means becoming mobile in respectful obedience to him.

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” With a heart totally his, holding nothing back, I can praise him fully. I can truly glorify his name.

The next step, I forced myself to ask a hard, but important question. What prevented me from having an undivided heart? After praying fervently, the answer surprised me – worry. I do not know what I expected but certainly not worry.

Worry does divide my heart. On one hand, I say I trust God. On the other, I find myself not trusting him to take care of things adequately. The two do not add up.

How can I get rid of this worry? Confess it to him and accept his forgiveness. Rely on his faithfulness to hold me and those I love in his capable hands. That takes worrying right out of the equation and allows me to worship him with an undivided heart.

God, I know you want me to trust in you with my whole heart. Help me to remove anything from my life which does not achieve that goal. Thank you for your faithfulness and patience.

Susan Partida