Having a Heart Fixed on Jesus Regardless of Our Circumstances

This is an excerpt from the As for Me Bible Study Book by Adrienne Camp.

Years ago, I was in Psalms going through my Bible reading plan, and the phrase as for me kept catching my attention. Over and over again I noticed the psalmist saying, “As for me . . . ”, “But as for me . . . .” I’ve learned to take note of repetition in my walk with Jesus. In His patient teaching, He will often spotlight things for me repeatedly. So, I mulled it over in my heart. I noticed how the psalmists kept an incredible resolve, almost in holy defiance to the temptation to be drowned by their circumstances, take their eyes off God, and succumb to what the culture was demanding from them.

Through the delays, disappointments, and honest, raw conversations with God, we see them struggle their way up their metaphorical mountains to reach the top for a breathtaking view of who God is and what He has for them. Instead of being swallowed up by the darkness of their emotions and circumstances, we see them persevere in grabbing hold of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness, and the exchange is well worth the journey.

As the psalmists poured their hearts out to God, we see them wrestle through various hardships with a reinforced commitment as if to say: No matter what is going on around me, this is what I choose.

As for me.

I believe we need this message in our lives today.  When we look at the struggles in and around the church, we see that we have not been deeply rooted. Instead, we are often tossed about, and our lives are not filled with the evidence and freedom of the Spirit. When I see the hatred and craziness in our world, I hope our lives will look different. The promise of Christ is our lives should look different. Love, grace, and mercy must be active in our hearts, touching the lives of those we encounter.

Jesus said a relationship with Him is like the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:45-46). It is worth selling everything you have to go after it. It far exceeds the value of everything else in life we will ever experience. As we dig to find the truth gems God has for us in Psalms and learn to apply them to our lives, we create room for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, to change us. I’m confident He will.

In Psalms, we see how the determined psalmists sought the Lord, often imperfectly, flawed at times, and definitely a little dysfunctional—which I can so relate to—but still fully resolved nevertheless.

I want that to be true of me, that no matter what’s going on around me, my heart is fixed immovably on Jesus alone, and the work of the Spirit is evident in my life.

As you traverse the beautiful book of Psalms, look for ways to grow in a more intimate and experiential walk with the Lord. Let us thrive in a deeper understanding of who He is with tenacity and purpose to hold onto Him, no matter what happens around us. Let us commit our hearts to defy our secular culture and experience the fullness of life with Jesus as the affections of our hearts fully engage with His. People around us may be caught up in the hustle and bustle of this world, but let us allow the declaration of  “as for me” to take root in our hearts.