To Know What Is In Your Heart

by Michelle Ramsey

As I reflect on the past year, I think we would all agree that it presented challenges not seen in our lifetime. What an understatement! 2020 was a year of many trials, yet in days of trouble, God was so near. God was there. He will always be there. When we were–and still are–faced with so many uncertainties of the future, the one thing we have known is that God is. God is there, God is love, God is good, God is our salvation, God is our sustenance. He is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6).

I’m reminded of the desert wanderings of the ancient Israelites. They were led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Their every move was dependent upon God. Yet despite this fact, their way was far from easy. They had to depend upon God for everything, even their daily bread. God showed them time and again that He alone was their faithful provider. They could not make it without Him.

Near the end of this season of being led in the desert, the LORD reminded them in Deuteronomy 8:2, “And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, in order to humble you, putting you to the test, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (NAS). Of course God is all-knowing, as we know “the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7, ESV). But when we go through times of testing, who we really are deep down inside is revealed.

It’s not that every bit of adversity they faced was brought on by God Himself, but there’s no doubt that He allowed it and He used it. He could have prevented hardships, but for reasons sometimes only known to Him alone, He permitted them. When they entered the Promised Land at last, they were to remember and look back and see the faithfulness of God, as well as their own humanity in how they handled their time of testing. They could look back and see that no matter what happened around them, it did not change the faithfulness of God. Just as God’s faithfulness to His people is not dependent upon the faithfulness of man, my faithfulness to God should not be dependent upon the faithfulness of others. He is faithful regardless of what others do or don’t do, and so I should be faithful regardless of what others do or don’t do.

Sometimes when we go through wilderness journeys in life, the natural tendency is to lose heart. But the Word of God reminds us to not lose heart (II Cor. 4:1, 16), and to guard our heart. Proverbs 4:23 admonishes us, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (NKJV).

With all our hearts, we are to love God. When Jesus was asked what the greatest command in the Word of God was, He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, in Hebrew the Sh’ma (Hear!), the central declaration of the Jewish faith. Deuteronomy 6:6 follows this by saying, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart” (NAS). God commanded His people not only to obediently hear His words, but to have His words in their heart. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). On our own, our human heart overflows with “evil things,” according to Jesus (Matt. 12:34-35, 15:18; Mark 7:21; Luke 6:45), but when we fill our hearts with the Word of God it transforms our hearts and minds. The Psalmist declared, “I have treasured Your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You.”

With all our hearts, we are to trust God. Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (NKJV). Guarding our hearts, trusting God completely and meditating on His Word are interconnected principles. The truth of the Word of God keeps and protects our hearts from our own understanding, and treasuring His Word in our hearts gives us confidence to trust Him completely rather than rely on ourselves.

What did God see in their hearts of old? What does God see in my heart today? What is in my heart? Is it the Word of God, or my own understanding? What do others see by our actions? Do they see a faith that trusts and loves God whole-heartedly, even when we don’t understand?

Just as God led His people for 40 years in the wilderness to know what was in their hearts, I pray we will continue to allow Him to lead us in this journey. That when God looks at our hearts, may He see a heart that loves Him above all else. A heart that will meditate on His Word day and night, a heart guarded by that very Word. A heart that trusts Him fully, no matter the circumstances. May God see His Word in our hearts, and may others see His love in action by the way we live out what’s in our hearts.