In church today during praise and worship, I felt the Lord lead me to pray. I started praying for the heart of the body, that they would soften their hearts and allow the Lord to overtake their hearts. During the rest of worship, I pondered the word “overtake”. It seemed so specific and not from my own thoughts. I wanted to understand the word and why the Lord had chosen it for the prayer over the body today. I thought it had meant to take over. Yes, Lord, take over my heart. But, when I got home, I looked up the word. Webster’s dictionary defines the word as “to catch up with” & “to catch up with and pass”. In that moment, I realized God’s purpose in the prayer. He is against what we have turned our hearts towards. Our hearts are not His, they have been given over to our flesh and to the pleasures of this world. The world and self have become our focus. We have left Him behind.
He chases after us, offering beautiful things like Love, Joy and Peace, and we stay just out of His reach because we are busy chasing the counterfeit things of this world. Money, power, respect, physical pleasure are what we put our trust in. We are silly creatures, really. I run from the One that chose to show me pure love, sacrifice for me so that I can reach after things that fail me and are fleeting. It sounds ridiculous. So, I have to ask why does He chase after us? I know the darkness I still have in me. I know how I fail Him every day. I know the distance I cause. Yet, He never stops, He is relentless, determined. I’ve come to realize that He comes after me simply because I am His. His creation. His daughter. His masterpiece. He chose me to be His. This is why He wants to overtake ME…catch ME and pass ME by…put Himself in front of ME, in front of SELF. He wants ME to let go of SELF. He wants my heart as HIS. That is His deserved place in my life…and yours.
Yes, Lord, OVERTAKE me. Catch my heart and lead me. Teach me to discount the desires of my flesh. Help me to let go of self and the world and its desires. Teach me to only have a heart for You. Let your will and way be the light unto my path. AMEN
Which Voice Will You Follow? 