Tune My Heart

   The concert is beginning in 15 minutes. The director stands in front of the band and prepares them for what is to come...the big performance. But first, he takes a moment to have each player tune their instrument. A push here, a pull, a twist there, and the instrument is ready to make beautiful music. Without that proper alignment beforehand, the concert would be a little flat and a little less beautiful.

   Two weeks ago, I sat down in the floor for a time of worship with 20 new faces. As we were about to begin, the worship leader got up and moved to a separate room, urging us to spend a moment in prayer while he tuned his guitar. I asked God, "Lord what does it mean to be tuned?"

   I think it is absolutely amazing how God prepares us before hand for the things we will experience. Much like the band director, he meets us face to face and refines our hearts and renews our spirits. This tuning isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it requires a push, a pull, a twist. Sometimes we have to let go of things, or be thrown into situations that we do not understand. But in the end, as we take a deep breath and breathe into the instruments God has given us, all the refining comes out in a beautiful song. A song that magnifies and glorifies the Lord. A song that makes His name known among the nations.

   I saw the way the Lord tuned my heart a week ago to prepare me for the days to come. As I was walking to a local school in a village I was visiting, I was greeted by a sweet 6th grade girl named Belinda. We walked and talked for hours. It started with all the small talk imaginable. From favorite colors, to siblings, to hobbies, and everything in between. When Belinda told me she loved to read, I asked her if she had a Bible to read. (She attended a Christian school, so I was assuming that she at least had one.) When I asked her this, she smiled and said, "Yes, I read it every day and every night." She shared with me her favorite Bible verse in both Swahili and English. Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!" For a girl that had so little, she knew exactly where her joy came from. This was so humbling to me, as it is so easy sometimes to fall into self pity and begin to lose sight of the joy I have in Jesus. Yet someone who seemingly has so much less than me still finds reasons to rejoice in the Lord in every single situation.

   Belinda's thoughts on Philippians 4:4 continued to convict me and burden my heart. A few days later in worship, one of my leaders shared a passage of scripture. It came from none other passage than Philippians 4. Paul writes in verses 11-13, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." This passage is so much more than a passage to be tattooed on our arms, or quoted as we strive to pass a big exam. This is about being in deep physical need. We can conquer these things because we have Christ on our side and in our hearts.

   Reading and meditating on Philippians 4 tuned my heart and prepared me for the next stop on our village ministry journey. We arrived in a village called Sirwa. Sirwa is a village in the mountains and is absolutely gorgeous. When we arrived at the home we were staying at, I was so convicted seeing the way in which these people live, yet still have so much joy. Their bathroom was nothing but a hole in the ground, their beds a simple mattress pad on the floor, and their meals humble. My heart ached for them, and for the rest of the people in the village seeing how little they had. We spent the next few days living life the way they did. I was not always comfortable, sometimes my tummy felt a little hungry, and my legs ached after walking hours just to get to destinations. But through it all, I gained a better understanding of what Paul was saying, as he faced times of plenty and times of need, learning to be content and joyful through it all. I am aware that my situation was nothing compared to Paul's, but I am so thankful for the way the Lord used Philippians 4 to prepare me and the way he used Sirwa to give me a better understanding of scripture.

   When we let the Lord tune us, He draws us closer to Him and reveals more of Himself to us. By letting God pull, twist, and push on my heart, my eyes and heart have been opened to the things He is calling me to. It was not an easy tuning and sometimes it hurt, but now as I get ready for the "performance" ahead, the performance of sharing the gospel with those who have never heard, I am fully confident that it will be all the more beautiful because of the way I allowed the Director to spend time tuning me.

   In this time of learning to be tuned by God and in tune with His spirit, I have found a new creed for my life. Here is how it goes:

   I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I will not look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. 
  My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.
   I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
   My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face or sacrifice, hesitate in the face of adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder in the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
   I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.

   Lord, thank you for discomfort. Thank you for showing me that I have been blessed with so much, so that I may pour out to others. Humble me and help me to constantly rejoice and be content in all circumstances. Help me to never resist the fine-tuning of my heart, so that I may be in tune with you, and share you in a more beautiful way. Thank you for being the Director of my life, that always knows where I need a push, pull, or tug.
Amen.

-Amy