Captivated by God?

Psalm 57:7, "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise."

Is there any doubt that it's much easier to serve and praise God when things are going well? In fact, you don't even have to have a good voice - when things in life are good, the songs just keep on coming.

Psalm 57:7 isn't one of those songs. According to history, this psalm was sung by David when he had fled from Saul and hid in a cave! How's that for inspiration?

Although our praise flows the easiest during the good times; it's in the tough times of life that we really discover the song of our heart. For David...even in the midst of fear and turmoil he sang of the steadfastness of his heart.

How do we get there? How can anyone possibly give praise to God during some of the most difficult hours of life? My opinion: You need to be captivated by God.

Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I want God above everything else?
- Is the desire of my heart to be used by God in every situation?
- Do I long to bring Him glory regardless of what it may bring me?
- Have I found God to be my all in all?

There is no doubt that there are many things that compete for our heart in this world. However, as Oswald Chambers puts it: "The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God." To have our hearts fixed on Him we must wake up every day and determine to seek out the presence of God. This happens as we read His Word, pray, and live with a conscious awareness of who He is.

Don't allow anything to compete with God in your heart. Give it all to Him! Who knows...one day this could be your song: "My heart is steadfast - I will sing and give praise."