An Every Day Spiritual High

Have you ever had a "spiritual high?"  I have.  It's that feeling you get when you're at a convention like a state youth convention, or Promise Keepers, or Women of Faith - when your heart is in worship 100%, you want to do more, give more than you ever have.  You want to turn your life around, live the life Christ called you for.  You have tears of joy and awe, your arms are raised, unashamed, in worship.  But then a week after you get home and go back to your usual routine...that feeling is lost somewhere, forgotten alongside the road at the last rest stop.  But does it have to be like that?  I don't think so.

Deuteronomy 5:29 - Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever.

First of all, what does it means to "fear the Lord?"  According to Scofield, fear of the Lord means "reverential trust, with hatred of evil."  We've always heard that to fear the Lord means to be reverent, which is true.  According to Dictionary.com reverence means "a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe."  So, if we truly revere the Lord, if we truly respect Him, we trust Him and we hate what He hates, evil.  It reminds me of the lyrics from Hosanna - "Break my heart for what breaks Yours..."  

Next we are told, "keep all My commandments always."  "Keep" or shamar in the Hebrew can be defined as "guard" (Strong's H8104).  You only guard something that is important, something that truly matters!  And then there's the small matter of the word "always."  "Always" in this verse is a combination of two Hebrew words: kol ("coal") and yowm.  Kol is simply defined as "all" or "the whole" and yowm is defined as "day, time, year" (Strong's H3605, Strong's H3117).  So this could be translated as all of the days, all of the years, or all of the time.  Regardless, you get the picture: always!

As Henry states, "It would be well with many if there were always such a heart in them as there seems to be sometimes, when they are under conviction of sin...or when they come to look death in the face."  This is where I got the idea of the "spiritual high."  I would go to youth conventions and wish I could keep that feeling, that connection with God, all of the time.  If only my heart were like that always!?!  But why can't it be?  Why can't I worship with all of my heart every day?  Why can't I be open to His touch, His conviction, the leading of His Spirit every day?  It is only myself that stops me.  It is only my lack of trust and reliance on God that keeps me from having such a heart in me always.

If we take a look at the first word of this verse, "Oh," we get a little bit of a glimpse at how we can have a heart like that always.  "Oh" is translated from two words in the Hebrew, miy ("me") means "who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever" and nathan means "to give, put, set" (Strong's H4310, Strong's H5414).  So, it would actually be read something like this, "Who will give such a heart to them, that they may fear [always].  Receive such a heart from Me, [the Lord your God]" (Clarke).  The only place that we can have a heart like that, a heart that fears the Lord and keeps His commandments always is in Christ!  We receive the ability from Him!  Which means we must trust Him and rely on Him fully, 100%, completely...however you want to phrase it. But here is the problem: "We can know in our mind that this is what is best for us but until we know it in our heart, it can't change us" (Rev. Kenny Seidler)!

He gives us the ability to have a heart that fears Him, respects Him, hates what He hates, keeps and guards His commandments always.  We just have to fully surrender to Him and give Him our hearts.  I know it isn't easy, especially when times are tough.  But my challenge today is to start slow.  Take just one day this week and fully surrender to Christ.  Worship Him in everything you do, let Him speak to you, touch you...  Take full advantage of the "spiritual high" that is at your finger tips every day.  

God is so good.