Psalm 108: 1-5

My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! 2 Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. 3 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. 4 For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.

This passage of praise was penned by David who is remembered and respected for his heart for God. As we reflect on David’s life we are reminded that he was a shepherd, a poet, a mighty warrior, and an ancestor of Christ. He was one of the greatest men in The Word of God, yet alongside those memories there stand others. He was also a betrayer, a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer. We may not possess all of his strengths but his weaknesses could be present in any of us it not for the grace of God. Psalm 108 reveals the heart and what has, is, and should be taking place within the hearts of those who have placed their trust in God. It reminds us that the heart needs fixing and once fixed it can be focused on the Father. There is only One that can fix our heart and that is the One who made it and when God does a work in our hearts there are some wonderful results. The characteristics of a fixed heart are the evidence of God’s work.

• Fixed

When referring to the heart the king James uses the word fixed and the New Living uses confident, what David is reminding us of is that a fixed heart is a heart that is fixed on Him. We are all born with a heart that can be hardened by sin so that it becomes damaged and defective. Sin effects how we function and without a fixed heart we struggle through life carrying the baggage of our broken heart. Yet when we respond to the gift of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and receive Him as our Savior, He mends our broken heart. We are like Humpty Dumpty in the famous English nursery rhyme, who sat on a wall and had a great fall and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again. Yet the good news is that what the king’s men failed to do the King did. God doesn’t just bypass the problem he fixes what is broken and the result is a steadfast, immovable heart. A wavering heart is replaced with a worshiping heart.  Has your heart been fixed, if so what is it fixed on?

• Filled

One of the results of a fixed heart is a filled heart. There is a God sized hole in our heart so we search for something to fill the emptiness inside. In our searching for significance and a healed heart we either turn to more sin or to the Savior. What we find is that sin never satisfies it only sacrifices, but the Savior fills up our emptiness and loneliness with peace, joy, and a love for both Him and others. David reminds us that a filled heart is a full heart, ready to pour out praise, “no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart.” Today we are drowning in a sin soaked society that seems to seek fun over fullness. The result is a shallow society empty of any depth. In our attempt to fill our lives with fun we have missed the truth that fun is a byproduct of a full heart not the way to fill a heart.  Happiness in this world doesn’t fill the hole. When we stop long enough to see where we were before we met Christ, and then to see what He did for us when He saved our souls from hell, we should of all people be happy. David reminds us of our fullness in that, without the Lord, we would be nothing and we would have nothing. The truth is that it is all or nothing, today is your heart full or empty? Is your praise full or partial, does it involve all your heart?

• Focused

A fixed heart is not just a full heart but a focused heart. Over and over in the Psalms, David repeatedly reminds us of the importance of giving praise to the Lord. But praise will always come out of a Heart that is focused on the Lord; on His person, His promises, His protection, and His provision for us. When we focus on the Father we come face to face with His forgiveness and faithfulness and we recognize that He alone is worthy and our worship. David’s desired was for the Lord to be exalted, our praise is about putting the Lord in the proper place of Honor. Its about waking the world with worship because we start our day in song.  He alone should have first place in our hearts, our homes, and throughout the highest heavens. When we place our whims before what God wants we have ceased to Honor Him and have instead placed ourselves in His position of praise. When we give God proper praise we direct all of the attention, all of the affection, all of the worship toward Him. That means that we move out of the way and make it about Him as we strive to have no one seen but the Savior. Our prayer today should be “Lord, Fix my heart, Fill my heart and Focus my heart on praise that pleases You.