Heart Matters

My heart will be

Restless until it rests

At home in Your arms

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Let us consider for a moment matters of the heart. How often do you count your heartbeats? When nearer your dearest love, does your heart beat faster? After going for a run do you take your pulse count?

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So, what is the human heart? Is it just that beating organ inside our chest that supplies blood and nourishment to the whole body? The nutrition and oxygen so critical to the organ called our brain? And naturally — of equal importance — to all organs pumping the life-liquid to the farthest reaches that call for it. The heart, without doubt, is centrally critical to our physical survival.

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The one surgery requiring a hospital stay I ever entered the hospital to have performed was an open heart bypass. My heart sent a hint something was wrong when I suddenly doubled over in pain, with the sensation of a golf ball being stuck in my throat. Myocardial infarction, they said. Heart attack in my language.

After confirmation of tests and surgery scheduled, five arterial grafts were performed. The surgeon found of four arteries that feed the heart, provided at birth, two were one-hundred percent blocked, and the other two ninety percent. He grafted in one extra, he said for good measure — and he had the time. The good Lord was watching over me, the surgical team, and the clock, while receiving a quintuple bypass.

In recovery, an intensive care nurse said I had come in contact with the surgeon ‘a kitty- whisker’ away from coming in touch with the angels approaching to take me to my eternal home. But I think the Lord’s grace of recalling those angels from an escort mission was granted me on more than one occasion. How great is His mercy!

Yes, we know about the life-giving organ so precious to our physical life.

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So, what about our spiritual heart? The one that seeks God, our Savior, Christ Jesus?

The Believing Heart searches continuously to know our Savior and beats within our soul, pumping a longing desire through soul and spirit, when we are always thirsting for MORE.

A Living Spiritual Heart is most Crucial

How do we describe a Believing Heart? The heart that always desires more knowledge of — closer relationship in — more tender communication with — the Savior Who has captivated our heart, soul, mind, and will. He, Who invites us to call Him Father, breathing into us the knowledge of His having adopted us into His family from now into eternity, forever.

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That believing heart through which He communicates with us in a still, small voice. The divine inspired Whisper, imparting — in the secret places within — knowledge of the unseen and unknowable but by the enlightenment of His conveyed grace and mercy only.

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The Believing Heart.

Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You.  –Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo (Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis)

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The Believing Heart does not haphazardly forge for itself some counterfeit god.

Instead, it looks to Him, who is the true and only God. It does not ascribe to Him whatever qualities it pleases but is content to take Him as he shows Himself to be. It is always careful not to depart from God’s will through stubborn pride.

Knowing Him in this way and understanding that He governs all things by his providence, it confidently accepts Him as guardian and protector.

Therefore, it entrusts itself to His keeping since it knows Him to be the Author of all that is good.

If beset by pressing need, it at once falls back on Him for help, and after calling on Him by name, it awaits His aid, for it is persuaded that He is both generous and kind. It relies upon assurance in His compassion, never doubting that there will be a remedy furnished by His mercy for every distress.

Since it acknowledges Him as Lord and Father, it considers him worthy. He whose commands it obeys, whose Majesty it reveres, whose Glory it endeavors to promote and whose Will it follows in His leading.

His name is Christ Jesus , Savior, the Lord of Glory. Home to the Believing Heart.

Christ’s Peace and Blessings on this Lord’s Day, ~G.W.

   

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“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.“

Gospel of John 14:1