A Divided Heart
by Margaret Davies
In the book of 1 Kings we read about Solomon and all his accomplishments, fame and respect, but, in his later years, his pagan wives turned his heart from being wholly the Lord’s.
We read that the Lord has clearly advised Solomon not to marry pagan wives, saying ‘you must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods’. This is what happened. ‘And in fact they did turn his heart away from the Lord’. ‘In Solomon’s old age they turned his heart to worship other Gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord as his father David had done’ (see 1 Kings 11:2-6).
He had a divided heart, and, with that divided heart, he left behind a divided kingdom. The growth of indifference to the Lord, His prophecies and His precepts led to two divided kingdoms following Solomon’s rule.
I believe that many churches have a divided heart today. They have a heart of indifference to the prophetic promises of God, which He is fulfilling through His people Israel. The result is a divided Church.
We can so easily fall into this trap in our personal lives as well. We can be so taken up with entertainment, pastimes, family, and other diversions that we don’t allow time for God in our lives. These things keep us from pursuing prayer and communing with the Lord on a daily basis.
Have our hearts become divided with the distractions? Have we too become indifferent, uninterested and unconcerned about the signs of the times leading up to the coming of the Lord? Have all of the distractions of this world pulled us away from following the Lord wholeheartedly?
We each have a responsibility to not let our hearts become divided. We must work on it each day of our life, as our hearts are the seat of our emotions, the central part of us, and, usually, what comes out of our hearts shows what takes up our time and reflects our commitment.
In Jeremiah 24:7 we read ‘I will give them hearts that recognise me as the Lord. They will be my people and I will be their God for they will return to me wholeheartedly’.
Let’s not become a people with divided hearts. But instead, let’s be asking the Lord to help us to walk in the truth of our verse for today ‘Teach me your way O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart that I might fear your name’ (Psalm 86:11).
Prayer: Father, help me to have an undivided heart in every aspect of my life. Forgive me for the times when my heart and my attitudes have been divided, and this has brought You sorrow. Make me more aware of Your heart for individuals and Your church, and continue to teach me Your ways. Amen.
Margaret Davies is married to Trevor whom she met and married in Israel where she worked in various ministries for almost 10 years. They joined Ellel Ministries in Scotland in 2002 where they served for almost 13 years, and have just recently left the full time team at Blairmore House. They are presently living in a small village in North Essex, and Margaret enjoys baking, gardening and walking.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
