Keep Your Heart

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Scripture: Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

23          Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

Devotion:

            Today’s scripture calls us to guard our hearts. The first question that comes into our mind may be what the writer means when writing the word “heart.” While we can never be sure, we can look for clues elsewhere in scripture. A quick survey of proverbs yields many uses of the word. It also can be found on the lips of Jesus in John 7:28, “38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” These words of Jesus point us to our hearts as the source of life.

            It is a short proverb, probably directly the summation of the less famous verses that precede it. Verses 20-22:

20  My son, be attentive to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

21  Let them not escape from your sight;

keep them within your heart.

22  For they are life to those who find them,

and healing to all their flesh.

 

In these verses, the writer of Proverbs is telling us that the words of the book are something

to be attentive to in every possible way. They leave no doubt that what is meant by heart in these verses is not the body organ but the soul. The inner spirit of a person is where the unconscious meets and influences the conscious mind.

 

            To those of us who have mental illness, these words are precious. They are better than all the Prozac in the world. They lead us out of despair and hopelessness into the light of God’s grace. They search us. They protect the inner person from the loss of hope that can lead to self-harm and suicide. Yet, they are not magic words by any means. They are simply the beginning of recovery and hope for the suffering soul.

 

            These words are a guide for all people. All people who follow Jesus should know and use these words as a guide. They will help those who trust in them have a better life. These words are essential for all of us. We all need to find that place within us where our thoughts originate. Let us pray that we may attend to our spiritual hearts as much as our physical ones.

 

Prayer:

 

            Lord, we lift your name on high. We may feel low, discouraged, or hopeless, but you are there for us. Let us, therefore, seek to keep our hearts in constant contact with you, our source of life and health of both body and mind. Lord, search us and see if any way in our hearts is not pleasing to you. Let us seek the way of life that flows from you. You are our God and king. Amen.

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