Though 2022 has started without any cyclones hitting the coast in Queensland (praise God!), for many people the winds of life and circumstance have none-the-less been blowing hard against them. How do you not get pushed off track when life gets tough? How do you get your bearings? How do you figure out what's the priority when it feels like everything is falling apart?
Know That The Lord's Purpose Will Prevail In the Storm
'Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails' (Proverbs 19:21)
Proverbs has lots to say about our hearts, and sadly, it's not all good. We are to store wisdom in our hearts as best we can, but there is a testing and refining that our hearts need which only God can bring. This means that though it's good to have lots of ideas and plans, we can expect that there will be tough times in life which sift out the rubbish in our hearts and leave the gold. What is our job, as we let the Lord's purpose prevail in our hearts?
Guard Your Heart Through the Storm
'Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it' (Proverbs 4:23)
Proverbs gives lots of advice about how to guard our hearts. We're to make sure that wisdom is allowed into our hearts and to do our best to keep it there (Proverbs 3:1). We're to allow ourselves to be corrected by others, for the benefit of growing in wisdom and keeping from the world's temptations (Proverbs 5:12). We're to keep things like envy and pride out of our hearts (Proverbs 14:30, 16:5), avoiding gossip and talk that just fills our hearts with folly (Proverbs 15:14).
Obviously when life gets a bit tough, it's all the harder to guard our hearts. That's how God refines us. But what do we do when it all gets too much for us?
Trust in the Lord With All Your Heart
'Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor' (Proverbs 18:12)
One of the benefits of going through a tough time is that we have the potential for our hearts to learn humility. It helps us to submit to God, to trust in him with all our hearts rather than ourselves, to turn away from self-reliant pride. This is the kind of heart in the shape of our Saviour Jesus, who allowed himself to be humbled at the cross, but also for us and our lifting up, the Father raised Jesus again to life in glory, restoring our hearts to the full presence of God in heaven. So be encouraged if you've been through a humbling season, if your heart is hurting. Honor and lifting up is just around the corner.
Does God Have My Best Interests In Mind?
'As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart' (Proverbs 27:19)
In a world of automated content creation and easy slick media production, we are becoming more and more highly tuned to the truly authentic. Put in language closer to the Proverb above, you can't fake what's in your heart. God knows it, and that's why he let's our hearts be tested, so that his good heart might be more and more reflected in our heart. You can't ask for much better than that.
How Do I Help My Heart in the Current Craziness
We can't go past filling our hearts with the insights that come in Scripture. Reading them, putting them into practice as best we can and walking beside those who are a few steps ahead of us trying to do the same.
Why not take the first step to helping your heart, and get along to a place where you can hear more of God's wisdom today?
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About the Author
Jai Wright is a Christian Minister, who founded and leads MAKE Church in Mackay, Qld. He recently published the book, Life Plugged In: Connecting with the Source of Peace, Power and Purpose.
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