Directions for the Heart
Recently I wrote about being in a stretchy place. If you missed it, just click HERE to be sure to check it out! For this post, I wanted to share another encouragement and also a challenge— something that caused me to take a closer look at the SIZE of my HEART. The following is what I am calling, well, determining to name, a Psalm 119 Inspiration.
As I read Psalm 119:32 “I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart“— one of the first things that caught my attention was running toward commandments. I mean, isn’t it hard to run toward commandments (rules) and statutes? The other thing was that the Psalmist said (WHEN you enlarge my heart).
Now at first, I thought, why is this person demanding God to enlarge his heart before he will follow or run towards the Father’s commands? As I was praying, the Holy Spirit began to impress upon my spirit to take a closer look at this one verse in application to the things happening in my life, and probably in many of your lives right now.
I thought about the word run, as in we need to R-U-N, not walk or slowly canter, but run to the rules God has set before us. To embrace the Father’s instructions and hold them as a treasure in our hearts! Many of us demand answers from God without getting our hearts right and walking obediently to what He is asking of us in the first place.
We might ask, “What is the next step Lord…?” only to let that very question become so consuming that we start to demand instead of asking. We sometimes look in at ourselves and what we consider need(s) before ever thinking about His instruction for our next step. We attempt to get feedback on this need that in the end— may not be what God wants us to be focusing on in the first place.
Are we willing to listen to His instruction, to the answer He may have for us even if it does not match our version of the answer we desire? Do we RUN to love Him or to question Him?
After we have answers, do we then suddenly have so much more praise to give? Do we seek out His instruction, or use our own logic or rationale to figure out how we ought to live? It is easy to get into the trap of thinking that every time we go before the King we need to get answers, when all He wants us to do sometimes is enjoy Him, worship Him, and delight in Him. We need to ask ourselves, are we running to Him— for Him, or are we running to our own agenda for our lives?
Heart check.
Back to the “enlarge my heart” part. I suddenly saw it from yet another perspective. I saw the Psalmist pleading for God to enlarge his heart so that he is able (capable) to run into the instruction of the Lord. I thought about the word enlarge, and it does not only speak of increasing in size, it can also mean to be stretched in the sense of being developed. There is that stretchiness again, it seems to be a very important factor in our growth, wouldn’t you say? I mean, we seem to grow the most in those stretchy, middle places.
And part of running into God’s commands is loving Him with all our heart, soul, and strength— our whole self. And when we do this, not only will we want to follow the instructions He gives us, but it also develops our heart in a way that truly desires to follow His commands— no matter what…
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“The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul […]” –Psalm 19:7 (NASB)
This post was written by Rose Ward. She is a Homeschool Mama, Developmental Editor, Writer, Designer, and Artist. She is also a Certified Functional Nutritionist and her heart is to bring nourishment, encouragement, and inspiration! Rose is also the Founder of The Bloom & Reed Co. You can connect with her here or find her at her personal blog ministrymoms.org.
