Deep in the depths of a mountain, on a cold rock in the middle of an icy lake, a small gnarled creature sat with his precious. If you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, you immediately picture Gollum and his golden ring. Gollum cherished the ring above all else in life, and that obsession led him to destroy those he loved and eventually himself.

JRR Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings and a devout follower of Jesus, affirmed the nature of the human heart when he created Gollum. We sometimes cherish the wrong things, to our detriment and even to the harm of those we love.

The psalmist admits if I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

The best way to stifle my prayers is to cherish sin in my heart. This doesn’t necessarily refer to actions or attitudes I display that displeases the Lord, but to cherish is to nurture or cultivate this particular sin. I may hide my sins from the Lord like an embarrassed Adam in the garden, but cherish refers to a calculated attitude of pleasure.

When I cherish my pet sin I give it attention, I feed it and groom it in the dark. I return because spending time together makes me feel better. Like Gollum with his ring, I nurse my loss or hurt or desire or jealousy or pride.

It’s silly. The Lord knows what I cherish in my heart, and stands ready to forgive when I open my hand and give him the nasty attitudes I clutch. But what the refusal to open myself to the Lord does over time is not silly. Just like Gollum twisted into a deformed, unrecognizable creature, our souls twist and tighten. I know people like this—I don’t want to become them.

It’s worth asking the Lord a question: What am I cherishing in my heart? Am I cherishing sin and if so, what is it? Take time and listen carefully. The Lord answers such brave prayers.

An inward journey takes us to new places. When we open our dark treasures to the Lord, we can join the psalmist in celebrating: but God has surely listened and heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Psalm 66 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Giorgia Sormani