“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”
Psalm 119:32 NIV
The pace of our lives is crazy. Most of us live with the needle of our internal RPM gauge bouncing in and out of the red zone on a daily basis. With obligations relentlessly pulling us in different directions, most of us are operating at our maximum capacity or just slightly beyond it. In the chaos of this pace, our internal world can grow a little bit foggy, and our wiring can become just a little bit frayed (or even disconnected). What was once clear in peaceful moments isn’t always as clear in the middle of the madness that we call life.
The movie Armageddon was released when I was a teenager. It’s not exactly what I would call a “classic,” but I think we’d all agree that movies that are blockbusters during your teen years tend to stick with you more than the ones you see later in life. Me and my friends watched this movie way too many times and consequently, most of the film’s dialogue is seared into my brain. There’s a moment in the movie when Bruce Willis’ character is arguing with the ship’s captain about which course of action to take: continue their mission to drill into the center of the asteroid or abandon the mission and “remote detonate” the atomic weapon on the surface of the asteroid. (As I just wrote that, I find myself with two opposing thoughts: first, “geez, that sounds so stupid,” and second, “gosh, that’s such a great movie…I need to watch it again soon…”). Certain that his position is the right one to take, and convinced that the captain’s fearful plan will result in catastrophe, Willis’ character Harry Stamper looks at the captain and asks “What’re you doin’ up here? Why’d you even bother to make the trip?”
It’s a question that sometimes echoes in my brain as I look at myself in the mirror after another taxing day. “What are you doin’ here?” It can be hard to remain connected to our purpose in the midst of the process. It can be easy to forget our “why” when the fog around us gets so thick.
This is true in my internal spiritual world as well. Sometimes it gets so foggy and frayed that I feel disconnected from my “why.” Often my spiritual life is reduced to one of duty and obligation. It doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of life in my “why.” My internal reason is more like Well, God sent Jesus to die for me, so I’m going to do what I believe will make Him happy. I owe Him at least that much… I guess that’s an adequate baseline, but it doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better. It really reduces the whole concept from a relationship to a transaction. It reduces my purpose to simply being compliant and dutiful.
The truth is so much greater.
God is not a transactional God: He’s a transformational God. He’s not just interested in exchanging His sacrifice for our obedience. He’s not just looking for followers to shut off their own hearts and “fall in line.” He didn’t create us just to be dutiful and compliant. His desire for us is abundant life.
The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119. Reading it can be a little bit of a grind, as you peek at the next several pages wondering “geez, how long is this thing, anyway?” but verse 32 offers so much hope. The NIV version puts it this way:
“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”
And here, I find my “why.” I’m not just serving God out of duty or obligation. I’m not just holding up my end of a bargain or fulfilling my part in a transaction. I’m running in the path that He laid out, because He has set my heart free. This provides so much orientation for my soul and so much hope for the journey ahead. I don’t just have to trudge along, hacking my way through the jungle of life: I get to run in His path. And why?
Because He has set my heart free.
for underdogs & kings... 