Guard my heart . . .

There are several kinds of heart problems; some caused by hardened arteries, blocked vessels, injuries, or other concerns. My hubby has a stent. I have a pacemaker. However, not one of this list gives anyone as much grief as a troubled heart. The disciples found themselves upset when they began to understand that Jesus would leave them. So He said:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1–7)

At one point Peter said Jesus should not leave them and He strongly rebuked him with “Get behind me, Satan” because Peter proudly thought he was defending Jesus. In reality, this man was thinking as many modern Christians do; that Jesus and every disciple of His is only blessed if life is without stress of any kind.

Peter learned a great lesson: the love of God does not mean being coddled. If hardship will make me more like Jesus, then hardship will be used. If He was willing to die for me, what does that tell me about my willingness to suffer for Him. Peter finally was able to say:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6–7)

In the list of heart problems, pride is close to the top. My pride thinks I’m too good to have trials so when they come, so does stress and deep inner sorrow. Spurgeon noted that most of our sorrows arise from within and said, “When self is conquered, sorrow is to a great extent banished from the human heart.”

That said, others would put unbelief as the chief cause of all heart trouble. Worry, anxiety and fear are the fruits of unbelief and every physician would agree these also wear out the heart. But if I totally trust and believe God… why worry?

Unbelief has other fruit, like covetousness or wanting something that God has not given. This lack of trust stresses the heart. God wants me to learn “in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11) It is the same with envy (wanting what someone else has) and even with complaining about everything from bad weather, to daily news, to political issues, to who won the hockey game. This is saying without the words that God does not rule the world my way and puts knots in my muscles.

With a pacemaker, I do a regular heart check. I have a device that connects to the clinic like a phone and it sends a full set of signals to an expert at the other end. They can change the speed, know the remaining battery life, and report on how well the pacemaker is working. This is important to my physical well-being. How much more important to do a heart checkup with God by connecting with His Spirit and making certain all causes and issues are confessed and cleansed — and that my faith is fully in Him, not in anything else.

PRAY: Lord, forgive my lax attitude in allowing these negatives to do damage instead of dealing with them as diligently as needed. You are the Great Physician, not merely to keep my body working well, but to keep my heart right with You. Forgive me for missing far too many appointments for a check-up, or even just a chat with You.