Fred Flinstone, Solomon, and the Syrophoenician woman

Remember Fred Flinstone? When faced with making an important choice, one that he clearly didn't want to do, Fred had a little devil figure that appeared above his shoulder giving him all the "right" answers, the answers he wanted to hear!

Even when my experience of God tells me differently and I clearly should know better, my little floating devilish figurine tempts me to follow strange gods, blurring my eyes and tormenting me with whispers of false comfort. I know I'm in good company, as even Solomon the wise king turned his heart away from the Lord in his old age.

By contrast, however, I can turn to Gospel examples of believers who turned to Jesus in time of crisis, not out of desperation, but out of complete and genuine trust, like the woman with a hemorrhage in Luke's Gospel (8:48) who sought simply to touch Jesus' garment trusting--KNOWING--that even that was enough for her needs. Or the Syrophoenician woman in Mark's gospel (7:25-30) who humbly begged for healing for her daughter, by falling down at Jesus' feet. I've mentioned her before here.

When faced with a choice, what is truly my heart's desire?

--------------------------------------------

Here's a video of one of the songs from "The Painter," a 1992 album by John Michael Talbot and his brother Terry: "Create in me a clean heart"

create in me
a clean heart o God
let me be like you in all my ways

give me your strength
teach me your song
shelter me in the shadow of your wings

for we are your righteousness
if we've died to ourselves
and live through your death

then we shall be born
again to be blessed in your love