Your Identity in Christ
In Christ, I am an adopted child of the Heavenly Father and the (w)hole of my heart is known fully to Him.
Pondering Point
The Bible teaches us that God knows our hearts and that He searches our hearts (Psalm 139:23, Romans 8:27); that He purifies our hearts and also soothes them (Psalm 51:10, John 14:1); and that He prepares them as suitable places for His abiding (Ephesians 3:17).
One of the most well-known quotes attributed to the church father Saint Augustine is this: There is a God-shaped hole in the human heart that only God can fill. Let’s pray that He does.
Psalm 139:23
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Romans 8:27
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
John 14:1
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me."
Ephesians 3:17
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
Prayer
Father God, may I find solace and comfort in knowing that You are familiar with all my heart. Let me find comfort in the difficult places, delight in the joyful places, and You in all places. Fill me with peace and love and… well, how about You just fill me with Yourself. That is enough. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Micro-Meditation
Psalm 139:1-6
- You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me. - You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar. - You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways. - Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely. - You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me. - Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Read the verses of the Psalm.
Mark the words or phrases that catch your attention.
Meditate: talk (or better, write) with God about those words. Ask Him to impress things upon your heart and mind; expect responses.
Teaching or Command of God
Deuteronomy 6:7-8
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
The Promise
Psalm 94:11-12
The LORD knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD,
the one you teach from your law;
Pondering Point
Would it change the way you spoke if you kept in mind that God knows the very words on your tongue – even before you speak? How could you remember this?