August 19, 2025 Devo

“Give me an undivided heart.”
What a great prayer. And what a HARD prayer! David realized that his heart IS divided at times. There’s a part of him that wants what God wants. But there’s also a part of him that wants what DAVID wants—ever had that struggle? Sure, you have. David’s heart was divided between Pride and Humility. His heart was divided between Desire and Purity. His heart was divided between Serving Self and Serving Others. These things are all “gods” that wanted him to serve them rather than the One True God. In David’s heart of hearts, he wants to be sold out to the Lord. It’s just not easy. So, he lays his struggle before God and asks for His help. “Help me to want what you want, Lord” is the essence of David’s prayer. It’s a harder prayer to pray than you might think.
What keeps our heart “divided?” What “gods” want to sit on the throne of our lives where God needs to sit? Well, actually, there are MANY! The god of Unforgiveness is one. Someone has hurt us, betrayed us, or cheated us. We seethe every time we think about them. Then we read in Matthew Chapter 6 where Jesus says we are to forgive as God forgives us. And our heart gets divided. We know we SHOULD, but it’s hard to let go.
Or how about that person we’re trying to control? We go from frustrated to angry to repentant. And we do it over and over again. The problem is WE want to be God. WE want to control their decisions, their relationships, and their future. We know we SHOULD take a step back and trust them to God, but it’s not easy. God is a little too “hands-off” for us. So, Control sits on the throne. And we have a divided heart.
I could talk about Habits, Attitudes, Selfishness, or a thousand other gods. But they’re all the same. Little gods who want to rule a piece of our lives and inhabit a piece of our hearts. Do YOU want what God wants? Or, like David, do you want to want what God wants? Make David’s prayer YOUR prayer. Take a moment to let God reveal the “gods” that are vying for dominion in His domain. Face those gods. Name those gods. Then lay them on the altar before Your King. Repent of the way that you have allowed them to push God out and allowed them to rule in that part of your life. Then pray David’s prayer. “Give me an undivided heart. Help me to want what you want, Lord.” You may find that those other gods don’t give up their thrones easily. But that’s okay. Neither does God. He thinks the battleground of your heart is worth fighting for. I hope you do, too. That’s God’s Word for you today.