Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:7-10
Everyone’s heard of the statement “Follow your heart.” Often, you’ll see it plastered across a little girl's shirt, a tote bag, or journal. It seems like an innocent, inspirational quote, right? That is until we take a moment to really understand it.
As women we are emotional creatures. We’re in tune with how situations make us feel or how our feelings lead us to make choices. And as Christians, our hearts should be for the Lord and the things of the Lord so shouldn’t it lead us the right way? Although it should, it does not always. We often place too much trust in our heart and fail to recognize that it is simply flesh.
In the book of Jeremiah, our hearts are referred to as deceitful and desperately wicked- thus, certainly not to be trusted. Instead, we are instructed to place our trust and hope in the Lord. Then shall we be “...as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” If we are planted by the True Living Water we shall not faint in times of drought, or trouble. Instead, we will be rooted, well-watered, and fruitful. With our full trust in the Lord we will not lose hope. For when our heart faileth, God is greater than our heart.
Psalm 73 was written by Asaph, a spiritual leader of that time. This Psalm is a prime example of a tremendous battle between the heart and the Spirit. As Asaph looked around, he struggled to understand how a just God could allow the righteous to suffer so as the wicked seemed to greatly prosper. He was overcome with emotion and almost felt drawn to that of the wicked. In verse 26 he concludes, “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” He goes on to say, “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.” His conclusion: the heart fails so trust must ultimately be placed in the Lord by drawing close to Him.
Proverbs 4:23 warns us to, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” How are we to do so? If we back up just a couple verses to 20-21 it says, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.” Essentially meaning, know the Word of God, keep it forefront, and apply it!
Whether you face a big decision ahead or the thousands of small daily decisions. Whether you battle knowing how to feel or already feel confident on where you stand. Take time to reflect and study these truths. Allow the Lord to apply them personally to your life. Are you being led by your heart- by how you feel? It can be oh so deceiving. Be sure that Scripture is your foundation and you can be confident no matter the emotion.