The opening line of Psalm 108 is often translated as "My heart is steadfast, Lord." I have read this psalm before, but because "steadfast" is not a word I commonly use, I tend to skip past it without encountering its significance. I interpret it as something akin to loyal or faithful. And I am wrong.
"Steadfast" is a translation of the Hebrew word "kuwn" and in the original, the psalmist implies that the heart has been prepared like a building, that the foundation has been laid with care. The heart has been prepared and is therefore ready and waiting.
In the Divine Office for today, the line is translated, "My heart is ready, Lord." That seems closer to the psalmist's intention, but it is still important to ask, "Why is my heart ready? Is it due to preparation, or panic?"
Is my heart ready because I have tried everything else and hit bottom, so in desperation I'm willing to even try this "God Thing" that I've heard people talk about? Certainly that is the moment when some of us feel ready: when all else has failed. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."
Or, is my heart ready because I have prepared it like a fertile field, opened it toward God, desired to experience God in the fullest way possible? That is the readiness that today's psalm implies.
Either way, God will not turn away a ready heart!
Blessings,
David
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