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The Heart

               The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

                The condition of receiving God’s revelation and of holding God’s truth is one of the heart, not one of the head…God is not grasped by thought, but by feeling. (Bounds, E.M., A Treasury of Prayer: The Best of E.M. Bounds, p. 48)

                I’m reading the Bounds book quoted above, and the first chapter seems to be all about feelings. Others I’ve talked to don’t see that, but particularly when I got to the quote above, I did. It brought the verses from Jeremiah to mind as well as “The Lord’s Prayer.” When people start talking about “the heart,” especially as associated with feelings, I get anxious. I read Mr. Bounds’ words and cringed. In a sense, he’s right. We should not pray as if we’re reading a grocery list: “Your kingdom, Your will. Daily bread. Forgiveness. Guidance. Deliverance. Amen.”  But at the same time, there just aren’t enough words for drama. On the other hand, when we place our hearts, or minds, on the throne, there’s no room for God. If achieving a certain level of drama is necessary to get our prayers answered, that’s a works-based system. If we jump through this flaming hoop with enough finesse, God will pay attention…? But, as Jeremiah pointed out, the heart is deceitful. It may try to convince us, or God, of our sincerity, as if that is the key, but how much of that is an attempt at manipulation?

                Somewhere between grocery lists and bad comic opera drama, there is a point of depth, meaning, and honesty. At this point, we can bring to God our minds and our hearts, our thoughts and our feelings. We can mean what we pray, and express it fully without making a performance of it.  We can care. We should care deeply. And we should care whether we are praying well and praying honestly. And we are not a good judge of that matter. This is where we need God, His Word, and prayer.

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