Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11
“My soul is preoccupied with this, and anxious for what is to come, fearing that it may be shackled with enfeebling care for the body and weighed down with material possessions; fearing that if the ravaging trumpet sounds from the opened heavens, it may not be able to rise on light wings into the breezes to meet the King. It longs to fly to heaven amidst thousands of honored saints, who will with easy effort raise their feet weightlessly through the void, unencumbered by bonds of earth, to the stars aloft. They will journey on fleecy clouds, passing among the stars to worship the heavenly King amid the upper air, to unite their glorious columns with the Christ they adore.
This is the cause of my fear and toil, that the last day may not overtake me asleep in the pitch darkness of barren activity, prolonging my wasted days in empty occupations. what shall I do if Christ in flashing revelation from his heavenly citadel appears before me while I nod over languishing prayers? What if I am blinded by the sudden rays of the Lord’s coming from the opened heavens and, stupefied by the shaft of light, I make for the grim refuge of the sightless darkness? This is why I have decided by my proposed course to forestall distaster, so that doubt in the truth or love of this life (with the pleasure of possessions and the toil of responsibilities) should not confront me with such a death. I am resolved to end my worldly cares while life remains, to entrust my possessions to God against the age to come, and to await harsh death with an untroubled heart.”
St. Paulinus of Nola (354-431) is ascribed with this statement about preparing for the end times. He was a bishop and a friend of Martin of Tours, Ambrose of Milan, and Augustine of Hippo. Special thanks to my friend, John Stanley for sharing an excerpt of it with me, so I researched and located the full thought for this post.
In today’s psalm, David the psalm writer, calls to God to teach him to rely on God’s faithfulness. He asks for an undivided heart so that he may fear God’s name. Paulinus, in similar fashion, announces that earthly preoccupations fill us with anxiety and lead us to weigh ourselves down with material things that leave us encumbered and troubled.
Though King David lived about 3,000 years ago and Paulinus more than 1,500 years ago, both with striking relevance help us see what happens when people rely on God to sort their every worldly care: they have an undivided, unencumbered, and untroubled heart that fears God and exhibits generosity through the entrusting of possessions to the faithfulness of God.
This represents the only way to live for all those who await the glorious return of Jesus Christ. It is true for every person, everywhere in the world. Speaking of the world, today I am back in Littleton, Colorado, and hosting Gary Williams, national director for CMA Australia, at my home office. I am thankful he invites me to proclaim truths like this one to the ministry professionals he serves Down Under!