April 2017 Pastor's Letter

Create in me a clean heart, O God . . .  - Ps. 51:10a  KJV

Every so often my home office space becomes cluttered to the point that it resembles a disorganized storage unit more than a place where productive activity takes place. Stacks of junk mail I intend to sort, books that I intend to read, papers I intend to file, coins I intend to catalog; you get the picture. Each bit of debris that I intend to take care of becomes another reminder of my penchant for procrastination. Eventually the stacks of good intentions become enough of a nuisance that I have to set aside what I want to do or should do to finally deal with what I have been intending to do for so long.

The season of Lent and Easter are good time to "de-clutter" the space in our hearts which God claims as His own. These are the days when we look at the stacks of unresolved issues in our lives that keep us from knowing and experiencing God's presence. The stacks may have different names: resentment, sorrow, anger, apathy, despair, guilt, etc., but each one takes up space that keeps our heart - our spiritual center - from functioning as God intended. Resentment cancels out love. Sorrow dims our hope. Anger stifles forgiveness. Despair smothers prayer. Guilt blinds us to the grace that can restore our sense of self worth.

David, whom Paul said God described as " . . . a man after mine own heart . . . " in Acts 13:22, struggled with "heart clutter". He loved God and knew that God loved him. He did a lot of very good deeds in the name of God and penned a number of excellent psalms which have proven to be blessings for millions since they were composed. Yet, David knew failure and fragility in his personal and family life which were the direct result of allowing the "clutter" to build up in his heart. To his credit, David did not try to blame anyone else. Unlike Saul, who was always looking for an excuse or scapegoat for his bad behavior, David stood before God and confessed

" . . . Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight . . . " (Psalm 51:4, KJV). Once he took responsibility for the "clutter" he could pray " . . . create in me a clean heart, O God . . . ", and experience new vitality and new beginnings in his walk of faith.

Clearing out the clutter in our hearts is an intentional action. It won't just happen anymore than my office will clean itself. Sometimes the enormity of the task - cleaning my office and my heart - leaves me feeling helpless. In particular, my "heart clutter", often robs me of the ability to say what I feel. As I try to pray, my mind asks, "What excuses can I make? What explanations can I give for allowing the space reserved for God to be filled with "anti-God" thoughts and feelings? At such times it is helpful to remember the words of John Bunyan

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without heart.

Maybe a time of intentional silence is the place to start. Though the clutter is mine, only God can remove it and create "clean" space where He and I can commune in the peace of His grace.

May we all find such space during these days of reflection and redemption.

Dr. Phil