Some of us have a wise words drawn in ink on our forearms. Others have cheesy inspirational posters on our walls, complete with bald eagles and silhouettes of people on top of mountains. Others of us have words of life in our minds and we return to them daily for recalibration. One such phrase for me comes from Psalm 86:

…unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

There is a relationship here between unity, fear, thanksgiving and glory. It is not a relationship I considered before but I believe it could be helpful to some who are fumbling for the keys to joyful and worshipful living, like me. While reading, don’t lose focus on the significance of the “unite my heart” in the first line an “with my whole heart” in the second.

“Unite my heart” because our hearts may be disjointed. Because our passions, desires, motives, and dreams may not all be moving in the same direction. “To fear your name” because when we walk through life fearing nothing and nobody, we ascend the throne ourselves and play god. The fear of God is a recognition and acceptance of His authority. “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart” because thanksgiving comes from a whole heart (a united heart, from the first line) that is humbly submitted to the King. We will not be grateful people if we are prideful people. Flawed individuals are the ones who can face their own reality and accept the sacrifice and holiness of God. This can have no other effect than gratitude. “And I will glorify your name forever” because once we have a united and humble heart that is joyful and thankful, we are able to offer a life of praise and worship to God that is undefiled by pride and undistracted by competing passions.

To round out this entire concept, the words leading up to the verse about a united heart are, “Teach me your way O Lord that I may walk in your truth.” Walking in the Lord’s truth is the first step towards a united heart. To have passions and desires that are in agreement, they must be submitted to the same teaching, the same perspective, the same belief. This way, the heart will move forward unhindered and we can each declare, “I will glorify your name forever.”