What Do You Let Your Heart Do?

I recently came across a phrase in my Bible reading that has got me thinking. Three different times, in different places, I read, Do not let your heart, or Let not your heart. Interesting. We live in a day when we are lead to believe that we don't have any control over our hearts. Take, for example, the term, "falling in love". The implication is that we tumble into love, helplessly careening down the slope, wherever our emotions take us. Or the term, "follow your heart", as if our heart will lead us to only the best places.

The Bible, however, tells us something completely different. I see two major implications from these repeated phrases. First, we are commanded to not let our hearts do certain things. That tells me that we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, do not need to follow wherever our heart may try to lead us. Second, the fact that we are told to not let our heart take us certain places implies that our heart will naturally tend to do that, and it's not always a good place to go! Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" Proverbs 28:26 bluntly states, "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool".

So what does God tell us to not let our heart do? This list is not exhaustive, but here are the three verses I recently read.

Proverbs 23:17, "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always." We are not to let our hearts envy sinners. Our world portrays sin as normal, even desireable. The 'sinners' are the ones who really have it made, who enjoy life. We are constantly inundated with this subtle message. Yet it is a lie. In Psalm 73, Asaph tells how he fell into the trap of thinking this way. In verse 3 he says, "For I was envious of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked." He also expresses what he was thinking in verse 13, "Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence." He was dismayed by his erroneous thinking, "until I came into the sanctuary of God," in verse 17. As he looked at things from God's perspective, he realized his thinking had been, "senseless and ignorant," verse 22. The remedy for our heart's envying sinners is to live in the fear of the Lord always. When the Lord has our focus, our respect, our worship, when we are living to please and honor Him, we will not be led astray by our foolish hearts.

Proverbs 24:17 says, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles." Isn't that our human tendency? We cheer for the good guy (us), and root against the bad guy (anyone who is opposed to us). Sometimes we are oppressed, and justice serves to exonerate us and put the blame on our enemy. While justice is good, and ultimately all sinners will face God's judgement, what should our attitude be to our personal enemies? Not rejoicing when they stumble. In Luke 6:27-28 Jesus says, "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Romans 12:17-21 instructs us, "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'vengeance is mine I will repay,' says the Lord. 'But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

John 14:1 says, "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me." Here we are commanded to not let our hearts be troubled. Over and over the Bible tells us to do not fear or do not fret. Why? Because that's what our hearts our prone to do! I think women, especially mothers, are particularly skilled at this! Instead we are to believe in God. We must abandon our own fears, our own worries, our own perceptions, our own preferences, our own expectations, our own analysis of the situation, and trust in the Lord. He is in control. He is at work for our good and His glory.

So don't follow your heart wherever it may try to take you. Follow the Lord. His ways are perfect. His word is sure.

Prayer Principles from Psalm 5

I love the Psalms. The psalmist is so real and pours out his heart to the Lord. Through the Psalms I see glimpses of God--His amazing character is highlighted in so many ways. I also see glimpses of myself as the psalmist is honest and transparent about himself. I see areas of sin and weakness, just like me, but I also often see a heart that longs for God, also like me. Many psalms display a close relationship between the psalmist and God, and from these I can learn about growing my relationship with God.

The beginning verses of Psalm 5 give us a glimpse into David's prayer life, and my prayer life can be impacted as I observe some principles from these verses.

Psalm 5:1-3
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my groaning.
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to Thee do I pray.
In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.

The prayer principles I oberved are:

Specificity(vs. 1)- David asks the Lord to give ear to his words. This implies that he has made some specific requests or brought specific situations or people before the Lord. It is easy to fall into generalities when we pray, God bless my world type prayers. I need to make sure my prayers include specifics, not just generalities.

Intensity(vs. 1)--David says consider my groaning, or meditation. He is pouring out his heart to the Lord with intensity, with fervency. His prayer is not casual, or an after thought, or a duty. It is intense.

Dependency(vs. 2)--Here he refers to his prayer as a cry for help. This shows his awareness of his own inadequacy and his dependence on the Lord. The more I see my own need the more I will turn to the Lord in prayer.

Submission(v.2)--David calls God "My King". He sees God as the King, and himself as the servant. This implies that his prayer was for God's will to be done, not for God to grant David's will. I need to make sure my prayers are seeking to align my heart with the Lord's, not asking God to give me what I want.

Intimacy(v.2)--here the reference is to "My God." David was not praying to some abstract spiritual force, he was praying to his God, someone he knew personally. How awesome it is that the God of the Universe, the Creator, the King, gave His Son so that I can have a personal relationship with Him! He has adopted me into His family. My prayers need to reflect this closeness.

Regularity(v.3)--Twice the phrase, "in the morning" is used. This implies that the Lord heard David's voice in the morning on a regular basis. I need to be consistent in my prayer life as well.

Centrality(v.3)--Another implication from morning prayer is that this was central to David's day. He didn't want to begin his day without the Lord as his focus. Whether or not my schedule allows for a lengthy time of prayer every morning, I need to begin each day focusing on the Lord, offering my day to Him, seeking His face and His strength for my day.

Expectancy(v.3)--this section ends with David's commitment to eagerly watch. He expected that God would answer his prayer. He was confident in God. John 5:14-15 says, "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." My prayers need to reflect this same confidence. I must be eager to see how God will answer my prayers.

What a privilege it is to have God's Word. What a privilege it is to pray. Hebrews 4:16: "Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to hep in time of need."

Surrounded

Recently I have been listening to a new song called Surrounded (check it out at www.godsongmusic.com) about how we are surrounded by God's blessings. The chorus says:

You're the giver of good gifts
You bless with benefits
Great is Your faithfulness
Your compassion's infinite
Every morning it is true
That Your mercies are new

I was reading Psalm 5 the other day, and took particular notice of a verse about being surrounded. Psalm 5:12 says, "For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O Lord, Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield." It is easy to think that being surrounded with God's favor would mean pleasant circumstances, good health, financial prosperity, perfect relationships, etc. However, this is not what the psalmist experienced.

In verses 8-10 David talks about his foes. He was not experiencing the perfect circumstances we often imagine, yet he still saw himself as surrounded with God's favor. We are surrounded with God's favor by His love, His grace, His peace, His mercy, His comfort, His forgiveness, His wisdom, His compassion, His truth, His strength, His guidance, His goodness, His faithfulness. God surrounds us with Himself. It doesn't get any better than that.

A Good Word About Anxiety

I recently read a verse in Proverbs that has stuck in my thinking. Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.” I think all of us know what it feels like to be weighed down with anxiety. It dampens our spirits, dominates our thinking, and can damage our effectiveness in fulfilling our responsibilities. Doctors can tell us of a multitude of ailments which are anxiety-induced. From purely a human perspective we can see the negative consequences of anxiety.

From a spiritual perspective, we realize that anxiety is so much more. Anxiety is sin. Anxiety reflects a lack of trust in God—perhaps in His sovereignty, His goodness, His power, or His love. The Bible is full of commands such as Do not fear, Do not fret, and Do not be anxious. Anxiety disobeys these commands. How can we overcome anxiety?

We must stop and pray. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.” We need to stop being anxious, and instead bring everything to the Lord in prayer. We must cast all our anxiety upon the Lord, knowing that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)

We must stop and seek God. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells his listeners three times--do not be anxious (v25,31,34). Literally, he says, stop being anxious. Aren’t you glad that God know our frailties, and instructs us? We are to stop being anxious about our life, our food, our clothing, our tomorrow—all the issues of this life. Instead we are to, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.’ (v33). We must seek God. We must look at life from His perspective. We must set our affections on things above, not on the things that are on earth (Col 3:2). Our focus must be on the spiritual and the eternal rather than the physical and the temporal.

We must stop and trust. In the first eight verses of Psalm 37, David says three times “Do not fret” (v. 1,7,8). Instead we are to trust in the Lord (v. 3,5). We must realize that these two attitudes are contradictory and mutually exclusive. When we fret, we are not trusting in the Lord. When we are trusting in the Lord, we will not fret. David develops what it means to trust in the Lord. It involves delighting ourselves in the Lord (v.4)—pursuing our joy in Him, thankful for all the blessings He wisely and lovingly gives us. It involves committing our way to the Lord (v.5)—seeking to follow Him and not our own desires. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” It involves resting in the Lord (v7)—dependent on and content in Him, casting our burdens upon the Lord and leaving them there. It involves waiting for the Lord (v7,9)—acknowledging His plan is far superior to our own and His timing is always perfect. As Psalm 27:14 exhorts, “Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” As we wait patiently for Him, our heart is strengthened, not anxious.

We must stop and listen. Proverbs 12:25 reminds us that a good word makes a heart glad. We must continue to put off anxiety, and put on listening to that good word. Do we daily spend time in God’s Word? Do we regularly and eagerly expose ourselves to good Bible teaching? Do we surround ourselves with other believers who will encourage us spiritually and help us to think biblically? Are we open to biblical exhortation and even reproof from others?

Our hearts need not be weighed down with anxiety. We can stop being anxious and pray, seek God, trust in Him, and listen to that good word which will make our hearts glad.