ODJ: heart condition

October 5, 2014 

READ: Psalm 139:1-7, 23-24 

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me (v.1).

Every morning I take an aspirin. Heart disease runs in my family, and my doctor says it’s good for the health of my ticker.

The particular brand of aspirin I take has the shape of a heart embedded on one side of each little yellow pill. At first I thought it was just cute. But now, nearly every time I see it, I’m reminded that taking this simple medicine is helping my heart.

Just as it’s good to tend to our physical hearts that pump blood throughout our body, it’s also good to tend to the health of our spiritual ‘heart’. I’m referring to that unseen place inside each of us that houses our deepest feelings, needs, desires and convictions. It’s that place within each one of us where we experience the deepest joys and greatest struggles of life.

There’s a lot on the line when it comes to our hearts. That’s why the book of Proverbs places a high priority on taking care of it: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Knowing the condition of our heart is one of the first steps to taking care of it. Maybe it contains a weariness that needs some rest or a big hurt that needs comfort. Maybe it’s deluded by temporary pleasures and needs a wake-up call. Maybe it’s in a state of open rebellion and needs to humbly surrender.

What’s the condition of your heart today? As David wrote, God knows! “O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me” (Psalm 139:1).

Pray this prayer with me: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (vv.23-24).

—Jeff Olson

365-day plan› Acts 1:1-11