Such A Heart

Deuteronomy 5:27 Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. 28 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

This was the end of the journey for the children of Israel. Moses took his time talking to them to remind them what was important. It had been 40 years since they left Egypt and a generation had passed. Moses told them what their forefathers saw in Egypt in the bringing of the 10 plagues.  He told them about the dividing of the Red Sea and the crossing on dry ground. They got hungry so God fed them manna. When they were thirsty God brought water from a rock. We should remember what God has done for us through the years. Moses was afraid the people would forget just as people have today. I see people going to and fro on Sundays but just look at how few go to church. People don’t have the heart for church as they should.

Our character, our being, and all our decisions in life begin in the heart. If we don’t put our heart into what we do for God, then it’s all for nothing. We must live by the Spirit with our heart submitted and surrendered to him. Giving our heart is an everyday thing, a lifestyle. That’s the safest and best way to live our life. It may not be a trouble-free life, but God takes care of all things when we give him our heart. He’s able to keep us clean as we confess. Imagine if a person never bathed or washed clothes. How long would they be able for others to stand being around them or stand themselves? We must bathe. We must wash our clothes. As children we didn’t want to take a bath. Washing is a chore but a necessary one. It’s necessary to keep our inward person given to God. O that there were such an heart in them.

While Moses was on the mountain the very voice of God was so powerful it scared the people. My voice is weak but God’s voice can bring a nation to its knees. When Christ comes on the white horse in the end, the world will have bombs and missiles but all Jesus will have to do is speak. It will be his voice that puts the devil in the lake of fire.  Israel asked Moses to stand between them and God stating they would do as God asked. Our voice is nothing next to God’s. Ants have voices. When magnified it sounds like crunching. We can’t even hear it. God can. He is not interested in how much we say. He’s interested in our heart. He wants us to carry out our promises. He wants us to listen and heed him. Having the heart to do what is God wants counts with him. Our fear of the Lord might not be perfect but we can be fearing him as we heed him. Knowing all that God could do ought to be enough to make that happen.

A heart given to God will fear him and strive to stay tuned to him. Verse 32 says ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. A heart given to God will walk the line. You and I can’t do it on our own. Do you say “it’s too hard?” It’s not as hard as you think when you give your heart to God. You can obey when the heart is given to God and it becomes a joy to live for him.

Can you give the Lord a little more room in your heart? I think we all can!