The Heart!

The Heart!

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 KJV

Of all the parts of the body that God created, I do not recall any two parts more talked about than the tongue and the heart. It seems to me that these two parts offer a window into the soul of a person. Time and space will not permit a full study of the impact of both parts to our lives, but as we focus on today's extract, we will see what God's view on the heart is, and what is needed to be done if we are to end well.

By Google definition, apart from its other functions, the heart is an organ about the size of a human fist, pumping blood through the body. Imagine that: the entire complex human body gets its supply of blood, which keeps the body alive, through the work of the heart. As long as the heart is working, the human body is fine. Most deaths are attributed to heart failure/disease/attack. There is an equivalent in the spiritual also: the heart becomes the processing centre that supplies all that the spiritual man needs to live and thrive. It is the silent, hidden but integral part of our lives that we cannot do without, yet we must carefully watch its delivery and operation, so it does not lead to our death.

God's verdict on the human heart is so dire: He calls it deceitful and desparately wicked. In fact, its deception is above all other things. Why would God speak in this manner? A look at the verses before this one gives insight: the people of Judah had become independent;  they were at peace and had become careless. But as you know, God will always punish sin, no matter in whom it is found. 

The people of Judah sought after other gods, and imagine God saying that because of their sin, He would take them away from their heritage and cause them to serve as slaves in other lands. Here were people he brought out with a mighty hand, gave them a land they didn't work for, yet they persisted in sin. If God handled his own 'chosen' ones this way, why would we imagine that we can escape the same fate if we disobey also? With all the warnings, Judah still didn't listen. And as God speaks to Judah here, so does He speak to us today: "How's your heart?" Is it lined up with what God says, or does it have its own agenda and plans? 

The question at the end of today's extract is: Who can know it? The answer comes in the very next verse: "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins." You see, no matter how complex or contradictory the heart is, it answers to its maker. No matter how bad things get, the heart cannot escape the searchings and judgments of God. With man, I can get away with deceit, deception and drama, but with God, I cannot. My heart's work is plain before the One who created it. I must avoid the false attraction of sin, because it is the surest cause of spiritual heart failure leading to death. Forget pretence; be real with God today. Go to Him for help with your heart. He made it, He can keep it from evil. He needs it, He can preserve it from sin. He formed it, He knows it well enough. I give Him mine, I know I cannot keep it from sin by my own power. I rely on God to keep me from sin. May His grace be sufficient. His time of favour is here.