Tune My Heart
Tina Riley, Worship Minister, KCK Campus
Have you ever walked into a worship service on a Sunday morning weary from the week that brought you? Laundry --piled high, bills--pouring in. The two-year-old shoved his Hot Wheels car down the toilet. Life feels like an excerpt from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and peace feels like a faraway vacation. You shove yourself and your family into the minivan, plaster on your best smile, and rush to church on Sunday morning, hoping for a miraculous encounter with Jesus to fill your dry cup and start your week. Every week can feel like a rinse and repeat. I am speaking from experience here. The things I have mentioned in this list have happened in my life. I spent years living this exact routine. Walking around in circles, I wondered why some people seemed to have this connection to God that was missing in my life.
An old hymn says: "Come thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing thy grace..."
"Tune my heart," as a musician, this resonates with me. Stringed instruments are temperamental; someone must tune them intentionally and keep them in the correct conditions to sound good when played. Many forces affect the tuning. When left alone without proper conditioning, forces within (wood, tension, aging strings) and without (air temperature, humidity) a guitar can cause the instrument to fall out of tune quickly. In the same way, when left to the conditions of the world, our hearts can also go out of tune.
I Am The Clay
The Bible doesn't compare our hearts to a wooden instrument. Rather, throughout the scriptures, our hearts are compared to a lump of clay.
"You, Lord, are our Father. We are nothing but clay, but you are the potter who molded us." - Isaiah 64:8
"We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7
The Father tunes us as an instrument, AND The Father shapes us as a lump of clay for His will. He molds us from something useless into something beautiful. But how can He do this? What must we do to position ourselves for His work?
Make Me, Mold Me, Fill Me, Use Me
The image of the potter and the clay clearly shows our dependence on the Father to shape us.
"Teach me to follow you, And I will obey your truth." - Psalm 86:11
David positions himself for the Father to mold him. He asks God to speak to him and then promises to obey. In the same way, this is how we prepare our hearts for worship. The truth is our circumstances aren't going to change. That Hot Wheels car is still going to be in the toilet. The laundry monster will constantly be growing. The list of distractions and excuses will always be yelling our name. But the shepherd's voice is gentle and sweet, and he calls us in a whisper. We must tune our ears to listen to him over all the noise surrounding us, trying to drown out the truth.
Three Things To Tune Our Hearts
1. Abide with the Lord
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge And my fortress, My God in whom I trust.'" - Psalm 91:1-2
If you have been around New City much, you will have heard this phrase. What does it mean to abide? Resting in the Lord's presence is the first and most important way to prepare your heart for worship. Abiding means taking deliberate time with God. Seeking Him in prayer and His word and listening quietly to what He has to say. Later in this Psalm, it says He will cover you with His feathers, and you will find refuge under His wings. It doesn't say anything about our circumstances changing. Still, it says everything about the power and care of the Father to protect you and carry you through the circumstances. There is a gentle peace found in abiding with the Lord. We must set aside intentional time with the Father if we expect to have the fruit of his spirit grow in our lives.
2. Journal Your Prayers
Write out the cries of your heart to the Lord. In your season of waiting, write out what you say to Him. In your season of harvest, write out how the Lord has provided. In everything, there is a season and a purpose; in our rushing through life, we often miss seeing God's hand. Your journal will become a monument to the steadfast love of God as you see Him answer your prayers and provide protection. In the Old Testament, the people of Israel built monuments or altars when they saw the Lord working or moving. They named them appropriately for the things that God had done, and then they passed the stories down for generations. One of those monuments is Jacob's Well. In Genesis 33, Jacob builds a well after the Lord brings him through a long journey and provides land for his home. We see this well throughout scripture in very important places. One of those places is John 4, where Jesus meets the woman at the well. Having monuments showing God's providential hand in our lives is essential for our worship and growth for ourselves and those around us! Journaling keeps our focus on how God provides and guides us.
3. Search My Heart
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." -Psalm 139:23-24
As we prepare for worship, we must ask God to search our hearts and show us what needs to change. We must confess to him and ask for forgiveness. When he guides, we must obey to walk freely into worship and meet with the Father!
So, this week, as you prepare to enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving in your heart, ask him to tune your heart. Abide in the shelter of the Most High through His Word, prayer, and worship so that you can find that peace of God that surpasses understanding.