Heart In ART
BRD REFLECTIONS
(Paul Gwee, Associate Lay Leader)
READ:
Psalm 108 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
What strikes me is how the psalmist resolved first in his heart to be steadfast. It was his heart that matters most. Out of this steadfastness, he was drawn to sing, make music and praises to the Lord. Notice he even summoned the lifeless musical instruments to awake and join him in making music. You can feel there is so much zeal and power from within his being – ALL his soul. So much so that the dawn will be awakened by him.
What seems to drive this zeal and power of his steadfastness? You can glean some ideas perhaps from what he had experienced in his life. His experiences revolved around the great love and unfailing faithfulness of God that far surpasses the heavens and reaches to the skies. You can also sense how the great Lord had saved and delivered him from his adversaries. How he had seen by the spoken Word of God, that God had brought victory – “God has spoken”. It must had been such great wonder and awe for him. Nothing else was needed, just “God has spoken” that there was triumph for His chosen people over their enemies — Moab, Edom and Philistia — who had been a thorn in their flesh.
Rhetorically, the psalmist even questioned himself who else can bring such victory and deliverance except Yahweh, the Almighty God. He was fully cognisant that all else, whatever was in human form, was worthless.
Only in the Lord God will we gain victory as He alone will trample down our adversaries. There is such great confidence in the Sovereign God.
APPLY:
Nurture the spirit of steadfastness always within my heart. It is critical that I remain steadfast. How? With an anchor. I recall during my younger days in the Boy’s Brigade that the words in the motto, “Sure & Steadfast”, are set within the emblem of an anchor. This has stuck with me till this day. It is timely for such a reminder from the psalm on steadfastness. Where must my heart be anchored? Only in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him I can remain steadfast. All others will come loose, causing me to drift according to the vagaries of the world.
Deepen and develop the zeal for the Lord through singing and praises to Him. Singing and praises causes my heart to turn from gloom to joy. Just like the psalmist, the power of his praises can even awake the dawn. In the dawn, there is light. In light, there is the hope in the Lord’s full assurance of His great love and faithfulness.
Fill and nourish my soul and spirit with God’s great love and unfailing faithfulness instead of the worries and cares of the world. In this day and age of relentless social media feeds, whatsapp group chats, etc, there is a conscientious need to filter out every worldly distraction, especially from my personal devices.
DO:
- Anchor my heart in the Lord Jesus Christ to be sure and steadfast. Dislodge all others, only JESUS is my anchor.
- Reflect and dwell daily in my heart on Word of God of His great love and unfailing faithfulness as well as in the power of praises to Him to light up my day.
- Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding for His victory in my life journey. Keep steadfast in prayer.
PRAY:
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being my anchor. Help me, O Holy Spirit, so that my heart remains steadfast in Jesus. Let there be always melodies, singing and praises unto the Lord on His love and faithfulness from my heart. In Jesus’ victorious name. Amen.
