“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.  Awake, my soul! 
Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn” (Psalm 57:7,8).

In the midst of a serious and ongoing conflict, David declares that his heart is steadfast.  After declaring this David reveals one of the ways God had enabled his heart to be so; “I will sing and make music.”  To sing and make music unto God was David’s intention, but perhaps because of how he was feeling emotionally and spiritually he had to speak to his soul and his musical instruments and say;  “Awake my soul!  Awake harp and lyre!”  Next David goes on to describe when it was his desire to sing and play with an awakened heart before the Lord; “I will awaken the dawn.”

From David’s testimony we learn that his steadfast heart was in part made possible by beginning his day in worship…and when he didn’t feel like it he would tell his soul and instruments to “wake up!”

If I sincerely desire a steadfast heart in the midst of my trials, then I must decide to begin each of my days in worship…whether I feel like it or not!  David viewed it as his responsibility to remain “awake” to the loving presence of God.  I too cannot afford to let my heart linger in a state of spiritual lethargy.  I believe many are stuck right here because they have embraced the lie that they can do little to improve their spiritual temperature.  But this is not what Scripture teaches.  We can speak to our souls!  We can fan into flame the gifts of God within us as Paul exhorts Timothy to do.

In addition to not taking responsibility for the condition of our soul, there is an equally destructive habit that some have acquired, that is to blame others for the state of their spiritual vitality.  This victim mentality is unfortunately quite common in the body of Christ today.  While it is obviously true that other people can seriously let us down, they cannot in fact be blamed for the condition of our soul.  No one can “make us” not turn to God or trust in him in times of trouble.  It is not someone else’s fault if we choose to live in a relentless recital of what others have said and done that may have wounded us.  In fact, the condition of our soul is determined not by what painful things have happened to us, but rather by how we have responded to such things.

Maintaining a fresh and steadfast heart is possible only by God’s grace.  The Good News is that there is an endless supply of grace to be found in the loving heart of God.  That is why we must begin each day looking to the One most worthy of our worship and trust.  And then we must carry that song we have sung to awaken to dawn with us as we move through the rest of our day.

What song are you singing today?  What revelation of God is your soul currently reveling in?  Does it point your heart to heaven and renew your sense of God’s loving and powerful presence?

“I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 59:16).

I always appreciate feedback to my blog posts.  Do you have a comment, question or a testimony related to the theme of this entry?