Stretch our Hearts

The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors; may he not leave us or abandon us, but incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our ancestors. 1 Kings 8:57-58


There is one beautiful word in this prayer from King Solomon that struck me when I read it...


INCLINE.


But this is one of those words that is even more beautiful when you look at the original Hebrew behind it. The Hebrew word literally means "stretching out of us." The prayer is simple: that God would cause our hearts to stretch out of us toward him.


And here's the thought this brings to mind:
Maybe a desperate reaching out for God is just as effective as a well-worded prayer...
Maybe stretching out for help, even when you are not sure what you need, is precisely the first step to knowing God's presence.


So, if you have a well-worded prayer on your lips today, God bless you.
But if all you can muster is a moment of silence, asking God to stretch you toward him, go for it!


May God stretch our hearts today.