Encounters!

Encounters!

Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. Proverbs 12:25 KJV

Here again we read from the book of Proverbs, where each sentence is a one-line message, full of lessons both for this present life and the life to come. The focus for today's extract is the human heart. It is the place of battle, where a man has to fight for what he is to become and resist whatever it is that does not align with the plan of God for him. It is the place where decisions of life and death are made, and where a man must place a guard in order to sift out that which has eternal value and what does not. It is therefore of great importance at this time to ask myself: do I even know the place and value of my heart to my eternal destiny? 

Men who could not fully understand the place of the heart made terrible mistakes, with some being dammed forever. Judas Iscariot did not pay heed to the silent warning in his heart as he stole from the purse of the disciples. We know how his life ended. Martha was legitimately concerned about what Jesus would eat, but as far as Jesus was concerned, this was not time for food and drinks but for the word of God. 

In both instances, the heart was the battlefield; the place where a decision had to be made about the choices before both. Judas made the decision to go for money and paid with his life; Martha must have realised the importance of the right priorities, because we later see how she received the miracle of Lazarus her brother, and we would assume she was one of the women in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. It matters what I do with my heart. 

Heaviness in the heart is one of the consequences of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Man now has to worry about everything, and unless I have the God of the earth on my side, I must labour for all I want. There is nothing a man can do by himself to heal his heart from depression, because its foundation is actually the sin of man. Man lost his joy when sin came, and with sin comes all of the baggage that must lead to depression. Only when a man turns to God does he experience a lifting of the burdens that may weigh him down. Even when bad things happen, the presence of God, if I allow him, can deal with everything associated with that bad experience. Have I really been to this God for the power that deals with depression? 

Medical science may be of some help, but it really cannot solve a problem that predates it. Medical advancement is unable to cleanse a man from sin or give him power to live above sin, and only the Word of God, who is Jesus himself, has already conquered sin and gives power to all who come to him for the victory over sin. It is that Word of God - Jesus - who is the secret to a life of victory, joy and eternal life. In the Word that is living and active, as Jesus is, as well as the written word backed up by the Life of God himself, lies the power that gives life to the heart and heals it of its hurts and depression. When the Word of God speaks, all the things of the flesh are silent. 

This also relates to human interaction. A heart that has met God is able to share him with a depressed heart. A heart that has experienced victory over sin is able to provide the right words of encouragement to the one still struggling with sin. It is my experience of God that can also lead others to the same experience. Before I dare open my mouth to speak, am I sure I have met the right God, so that my life and lips can produce words that speak of God and can deal with sin and its effect in the life of other men? Even when the depression is as a result of unfortunate circumstances, even death or sickness, the effect of the word inspired by the God of love is enough to deal with the root of that depression. 

I have to totally surrender control to this God and hold nothing back. If I do hold anything back, I am telling God that I can take care of myself by myself. That is the recipe for disaster - that false sense of independence and self sufficiency. It is in surrender that my life truly becomes a place where God is glorified. It is in surrender that I become a tool that God can use to deal with the foundation and effect of sin. I cannot produce the right words if I have not first met the Word of God. It is from the abundance of my personal encounter that my life can be a place of encounter and encouragement to other people. I have to ask myself again: have I met the Word of God? His time of favour is here.