Jesus, Incline My Heart

I could hear it in her voice when I answered her call moments before I was to leave for the evening.  She just needed a sympathetic ear.  Someone who would listen to her tell of a horrible, rotten, good-for-nothing, really bad day.  And it had been.  A series of disappointments and discouragements highlighted her Friday.  And what had started out as promising had ended only as failure in her eyes.

Hearing the tears fall from the other end of the line was difficult.  But hearing the words fall from her lips was most challenging.

"Today has been such a terrible day!"

"Things will never change!"

"He will never see it my way!"

And I get a good chuckle at it looking back... because her reaching out to me is curious.  Because she knows this one is going to do all within my power to combat darkness with light.  Those who keep a watchful eye over goodness, and daily practice the art of seeing grace gifts large and small, are uniquely designed to tell a better story.

And this day... God had already prepared me in advance.

Because I had said it before... words of godly advice preached to self.  Over and over again.  Because this hard head is so often times determined to do it my own way - even when I know my own way is the harder way.  And yet I find me, self-preacher, sharing the lesson with her...

"Don't speak it unless you want to experience it."

And turning to my bible and the journal left open from morning devotions gives way to a teaching moment that we both need.  Psalm 119:112, "I am determined to keep Your decrees to the very end."  And in the ESV... there larger than life... are the words she needs... and I do too... "I have inclined my heart."  

To incline is, "to lean; to bend; to dispose in mind, habit etc..."  The Hebrew word for Incline is "to stretch out; to extend."  This means... it takes effort.  On my part?  Yes... on my part.  INCLINE my heart.

Our hearts are naturally unwilling to yield and are rebellious against purity and holiness.  Romans 8:7 says, "For the sinful nature is always hostile to God."  And it's made agreeable to Him only by the grace of God!  A GOOD PERSON... one seeking after righteousness and passionately pursuing Jesus... is desirous of being steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

It is the duty of those pursuing a full life in Christ, to set our vision upon spiritual things... heavenly promises.  What we see the Psalmist doing here is actively bending his heart to bear witness to the goodness of God.  I love what Nathanael Ranew says, "No holy duties come to us; we must come to them."

And so - a good attitude... a godly response to the day... is up to us.  We can choose to have good emotions regarding our circumstances... or we can choose the way of defeat in the midst of our mess.  We can steer clear of things that would unworthily bias us or occupy our hearts.  We can choose who we are keeping company with... and decide how important it is for us to stick closely with those who point us in the direction of Jesus.

And so I challenge my friend... INCLINE your heart.  Make a decision to choose more wisely that which we proclaim with our mouths.  Because oftentimes we unknowingly sabbotage our situation simply by speaking too carelessly and giving the enemy breading ground to wreak havoc on our spiritual well-being.

I read this recently, and it now resides on a sticky note above my computer in my office.  It says this:

"If we cannot pray about it, praise about it, or think about it on our deathbed, it has to go!"

Our speech is a powerful thing and the habits we exercise in our daily lives become the principles we remain rooted in for years to come.

Choose wisely, friend.  And repeat after me:

I am fixed!
I am focused
I am confident!
I am ready!
I am able!
I am strong!
I have inclined my heart toward Jesus!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,

Wendy