Experiencing God's Presence #208

Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Psalm 103:1

If you were God—and granted, the suggestion takes some imagination and a sense of reverence—to whom would you reveal yourself most clearly? To those with a scattered focus? To those with an I’ll-believe-it-when-I-see-it attitude? To those with a halfhearted interest? No, it’s much easier to imagine offering deeper intimacy to those who come with a whole heart—who bring every crack and corner of their soul into the relationship. That’s who will treasure a deep relationship most.

In human relationships, we give ourselves more fully to those who have given themselves more fully to us. God, an intensely relational God, is the same. Fragmented hearts receive a fragmented experience, but a whole heart receives a whole experience of God. If we scatter our affections abroad—a little of this or that treasure with God added on—we’ll know God at some level, but not as fully as we could. Though He loves all of us, He opens His heart to us in direct proportion to our desire for Him.

That’s why David determined to praise God with a whole heart. Saul before him had come to God without much heart at all, and Solomon, his son, would display a highly fragmented heart later. But David knew that God was worthy of a complete investment of his soul, and he knew he would experience God accordingly. Throwing everything into the relationship, he received everything in return. He enjoyed the benefits of knowing God deeply.

If your relationship with God seems to be falling short of your expectations or desire, ask yourself how divided your heart is. That isn’t always the reason for disappointment, but it often is. Then resolve to invest everything—every impulse of your heart—into seeking Him.

Lord, my heart is easily divided and scattered among other interests. And You even support our interests, but not when they overshadow You. Help me seek You above all else—and enjoy You above all else.

From the book