THE STEADFAST HEART (1)

“MY HEART is STEADFAST, O God, MY HEART I STEADFAST; I will sing and give praise” – Psalm 57:7

God cherishes and relates intimately with the STEADFAST HEART: “MY HEART is STEADFAST, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise” (Psa.57:7). Psalm 57 was David’s prayer when he fled from King Saul into a cave. David had wound up in a perilous situation, because Saul intended to kill him. David described himself as being amongst lions: “My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword” (v.4). However, his response was to cry out to God for mercy, and declare his trust in the Lord for deliverance: “And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (v.1). David was not relying on his own devices for deliverance but was fully trusting in God: “I will cry out to God Most High, to perform all things for me…” (v.2-3). He sought for God to be glorified (v.5).

This passage describes the disposition of David’s heart as he faced hard times: a heart that was fixed and steadfast in the Lord. David was passing through: times of calamities (v.1) and of reproach (v.3). He was among lions, teeth like spears and arrows, and tongues like swords (v.4). He described how the enemies had prepared a net for his steps and dug a pit before him so that his soul was bowed down (v.6). Yet, in confidence of faith, he took a stance to worship and praise the Lord. David said, “My heart is established” or “My heart is fixed” twice! He had planted his heart deep, so the roots could find lots of fresh water and nutrients. He survived the tough times, but not from any shallow religious experience. He had to tap deep down into the very Heart of God!

Similar thoughts on steadfast hearts are expressed in few other psalms:

“Our HEART has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from Your way” (Psa.44:18).

“O God, MY HEART is STEADFAST; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory” (Psa.108:1).

“He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his HEART is STEADFAST, trusting in the Lord” (Psa.112:7).

The steadfast heart is the fixed heart, the settled heart, the firm heart, the rooted heart, the established heart.

The meditation scripture speaks of deep conviction and great decision. Joshua stood up before the people of Israel and said, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But AS FOR ME and MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE the LORD” (Jos.24:15). The fixed heart! Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not eat of the king’s portion, nor drink the wine that he drank (Dan.1:8). The fixed heart! The three Hebrew youth said: “…let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan.3:18). The fixed heart!

David’s walk with God was so strong that in this dire strait when he was expected to be heart broken, distressed, and discouraged, he didn’t respond with fear, but with hope built on the solid rock of God’s Love and Mercy. His response is appropriate for the days we live in, when disaster locks in virtually every corner, and the righteous are being hunted down by workers of wickedness. How great it would be if we could respond like David – for our walk with the Lord to be so strong that we can fully trust in Him for deliverance, such that we can sing as He guides us through life’s storms and praise Him perpetually! As Believers in Christ, there are some things that we must decide on, and in life, in death and forever, our soul is committed. That’s the Steadfast Heart!