Being Wholehearted

Being wholehearted reveals that we are serious about the people we spend time with and the tasks we are involved in. Being fully dedicated in a relationship shows we are wholehearted about the person. Good parents are dedicated to their children, spend quality time with them and invest into them and their future. We dedicate time to the people we love and that are important to us. The time we spend with someone or something shows how important the person is. Doing things wholeheartedly shows that we are serious about the tasks we are working on. Athletes, musicians, or business people spend focused attention and dedicated time on reaching their goals. All of this reveals wholehearted dedication. How much more should wholehearted dedication apply to God!

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The psalmist proclaimed that he will thank God with all his heart (Psalm 9:1; cf., 86:12; 111:1). David was wholeheartedly dedicated to God. He expressed it in rejoicing in God and praising His name (Psalm 9:2). God is the Most High (El Elyon); He was the highest priority for king David. No one and nothing was more important to him than God. David was also dedicated to living life for a 'just cause' and could therefore rely on the Most High to set things right in a righteous manner (vv 3-6). In life we suffer injustice; and then we do, we don't seek vengeance, only vindication. We trust God in our pain and believe that He will work out all things for our good. God is a righteous Judge and judges in righteousness (vv 7-8). God alone is worthy to sit as King forever because He is both righteous and compassionate. He is a stronghold to the oppressed in times of trouble (v 9). Those who know His Name place their trust in Him, knowing that God doesn't forget or forsake those who see Him (v 10). His Name is a strong tower and the righteous run to Him and are safe (Proverbs 18:10).  

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God's wonders, which the psalmist would proclaim (Psalm 9:1), are 'His deeds' we are to declare (v 11). This includes vindication in righteous judgment by God, who defends the afflicted (v 12). We can turn to Him and ask for His grace and protection from those who hate us and seek to do us harm. God will guard our lives (v 13). We are to praise Him (vv 11a, 14a) and rejoice in His salvation (v 14). David did so publicly in the gates of Zion as well as in his private chamber. Both private and public worship are important. You cannot be before people in public what you are not before God in private. As a man, David asked God to graciously strengthen him; as king, he asked God to execute righteous judgment for his people (vv 15-17). Like Solomon, David wanted to be a king with righteous leadership (Psalm 72; see E28). For David, the needy and afflicted were important: they will neither be forgotten, nor would their hope in God be in vain (v 18). David asked for Yahweh to arise in order to stop wicked men from prevailing in oppression and that a fear (reverence) for God would be on the nations to prevent further injustice and harm (vv 19-20). Our wholehearted dedication to God is needed both in our private life and our public responsibilities towards others. In a time of political scandals and self-serving ministers, we need wholehearted dedication to God and the righteous way of fulfilling our responsibilities. We are to be wholeheartedly dedicated to a just cause on behalf of others, and do so in honour of God. 

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