🤝 Psalm 86:11 | Uniting Your Heart

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Big announcement from Malachi Daily below! Hint: an in-depth resource to help you learn how to take your thoughts captive!

It’s completely free and exclusive for subscribers who pay-it-forward to support our work.

If you missed this week’s emails, you can read them here: Monday and Tuesday.

In today’s email…

• 🗣️ A Hebrew keyword that ties it all together

• 🤔 A wise Charles Spurgeon quote to encourage you

• 🧠 How to take your thoughts captive

• 📚️ Resources to help you dig deeper

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

Teach me your ___, O ____,

that I may ____ in ____ _____;

unite my ____ to ____ your _____.

Psalm 86:11

NEW FROM MALACHI DAILY 🧠 

For 25 years, I struggled constantly with thoughts of self-doubt ("I'm not qualified"), fear ("What if I fail?"), or unworthiness ("God can't use someone like me").

Yes, I attended church and knew Scripture.

But I was losing the battle for my mind.

Until God taught me the life-changing power of 2 Corinthians 10:5.

That’s when I learned how to take my thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.

And it changed everything.

Today, I’m walking in the truth of who God made me to be.

Negative thoughts are less frequent and much quieter.

I feel free and am walking in the Spirit more than I have ever been.

And I want that for you.

Which is why I'm so excited to announce our new course 👇️ 

This course is for you if you:

• Struggle with self-doubt, fear, or unworthiness

• Are tired of negative and defeating thoughts robbing you of peace

• Are ready to experience a “renewed mind”

Simply sign up for any pay-it-forward tier below and you’ll receive the training within minutes.

When you pay-it-forward, you get lifetime access to the course and help us reach more people with God’s Word.

Note: If you already pay it forward, you have access! You’ll receive an email this morning with instructions to access the course.

CONTEXT 📕 

The past few days, we’ve dug into Psalm 86, looking at its background and broad context. Now, let’s dig into the original language.

There are three phrases that stand out in this psalm:

• “Walk in your way”

• “Unite my heart”

• “Fear your name”

“Walk in your way”

This is a phrase that appears frequently throughout the Psalms and the rest of the Bible. We actually covered it in a previous week on Psalm 1:1-2.

“Way” means “lifestyle” — the way of doing things. David is looking to God to know how he should live.

“Unite my heart”

This phrase rests on the keyword yāḥaḏ (pronounced yaw-khaad), which is the Hebrew word translated as “unite.”

It’s a word that goes deeper than connecting - it means to join together as one.

“Fear your name”

This phrase pops up all over Scripture; to “fear” means to “be in awe of, or show reverence toward.” 

To sum it all up:

In these three powerful phrases, we see David's profound longing for spiritual wholeness — seeking God's guidance for daily living, yearning for an undivided heart fully devoted to Him, and cultivating deep reverence for the One who alone deserves our ultimate awe.

As we memorize Psalm 86:11 this week, may we embrace this same holy triad of walking, uniting, and fearing, allowing God's truth to transform us from the inside out.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

When storms come, it’s natural to seek shelter. The question is, where do we seek it?

Consider this quote from Charles Spurgeon:

“There are storms of this life still to be met, so get behind Christ by following him in the path of duty. If you never go anywhere but where Christ leads the way, you need not be afraid of storms, for they will beat upon him more than upon you.”

Prayer of Confession

Lord, when I face storms, I want my instinct to be to take shelter in you. In moments of fear, remind me that you are far bigger and stronger than any storm of this life. Give me your strength and increase my trust in you. Amen. 🙏

RESOURCES 📚️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into the verse and its themes:

• 📚️ In the Lord I Take Refuge by Dane Ortlund (link)

• 📚️ Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop (link)

• 💻️ Commentary on Psalm 86: Help from the Great God by Enduring Word (link)

• 🎥 The Spoken Gospel’s Video on Psalm 86 (link)

• 🎥 Sermon: Lament and Hope by Matt Chandler (link)

• 🎵 Psalm 86:11 by the Verses Project (Spotify | Apple Music | Youtube)

Everyone who pays-it-forward to support our work gets lifetime access to our new course: Renew Your Mind: How to Take Your Thoughts Captive and Make Them Obedient to Christ.

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

Teach me your way, O Lord,

that I may walk in your truth;

unite my heart to fear your name.

Psalm 86:11