How to Have a Strong Heart – Part Two
“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord” Psalm 31: 24.
Heart is the Hebrew word for mind, purpose, intention, or insight.
The following is a revolutionary concept that can change your life.
It is said of God “He will strengthen your heart.” Such a concept has been veiled in meaning. The organ of the heart is a marvel. This rugged four-chambered, four-valved pump which handles 5,000 gallons of blood a day, almost enough to fill a railroad tank car. It supplies the circulatory system through 12,000 miles of vessels, and in the course of the average lifetime beats two and one half billion times. There is an additional strategic function of the heart long unknown.
Now without regard for that statement a British researcher at Southampton University and author Dr. Alan Watkins help our understanding. In his book Mind-Body Medicine: a Clinician’s Guide to Psycho/neuro/immunology he speaks of the heart as the body’s powerhouse which has a “hitherto unrecognized role in balancing the entire human system.” He states the heart produces 50 times more electrical energy than the brain and a thousand times more electro-magnetic energy. Being the strongest power source in the body it coordinates all the other body systems, including the brain, commonly thought to be the dominant organ.
The process is known as “entrainment.” It produces harmony throughout all of the body.
He illustrates it by observing a flock of birds. Have you ever seen a large dense flock of birds flying along and all at once they all instantly dart in the same direction in response to a threat. That togetherness is entrainment. Dr. Watkins says biological systems entrain. The heart sets the pattern. In humans it only happens in response to a positive emotional state. All body systems have their body clocks which have their own rhythm. When there is a positive emotional state these rhythms synchronize. When this happens the brain works better, the immune system functions better, and your hormonal system is at its best.
Let the Lord strengthen you as a result of your hope and spiritual entrainment will follow.
When our Lord says He will strengthen our heart He is saying He will help our brain, immune system, and hormones work together to our fullest advantage. All of this happens when the Lord is allowed to strengthen your heart by you thinking with the mind of Christ. That is, having His thoughts on each issue. Such positive thoughts impact all of your life.
Is your hope that God keeps His word and He will strengthen your heart. If so, pause and renew your commitment to Him.
How to Have a Strong Heart – Part One
“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord” Psalm 31: 24.
A sense of futile hopelessness is so foreign to the Lord that the word “hopeless” does not occur in the Bible. Knowing human nature, our Lord realizes it exists and proposes an antidote. Therefore, take heart.
If you are faint hearted or even if you have lost heart the Lord can rejuvenate you. Both expressions speak of a loss of courage. The Lord can replace your weakness with courage. He has instructed you to “Be of good courage….” Your strength can be equal to your task. Victory can still be yours.
To do it He needs your involvement. “He shall strengthen you” IF you exercise hope. When you exercise hope He supplies strength. When you manifest hope He provides a sense of His nearness. He strengthens us through His word so absorb it in your thoughts. He strengthens us through individuals so associate with persons who love Him. He strengthens us through circumstances so look for those “God things” in your daily life. He strengthens us by His invisible, but empowering Holy Spirit. However, He chooses to do it. He will do His part and strengthen you when you demonstrate hope. That is your part.
When you commit your spirit into the hand of the Lord He will surely preserve your precious deposit.
It is a joy worth worlds when driven where none but the Lord can help you, and then to experience His mighty hand pulling you out of the slough of despondence. The joy lies mainly in the fact that you have hope in the Lord, and are sure that He is near you. This blessed realization of the Lord’s interposition causes us to be renewed even in our tribulation. That is a cure for worry, a blessed cure for anxiety.
We visited the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem to see the famed beautiful stained glass windows by renowned artist Marc Chagall. The twelve windows in the synagogue represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The captivating window of the tribe of Issachar is stunning. Issachar was an agricultural tribe that loved the land so much they would not even leave to go to war (Genesis 49:14, 15). Tradition says that Zebulun and Issachar made a pact. Zebulun would enter the commercial arena in order to allow Issachar time to study the Torah. Therefore, the gift the Issachar tribe gave David was that they “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (I Chronicles 12: 32).
God’s people need to study God’s Word in order to understand our times and know what to do. Commit yourself now to the study of His word and wisdom can be gained thereby.
Seeking to Understand Bad Things
How are bad things that happen to good people to be understood? They are to be framed in two categories: His nature, and His word. First His Word:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). His ways are beyond our comprehension even though mankind has always tried to understand the Porifera of His being.
“As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything” (Ecclesiastes 11:5). If we do not understand these basics how can we expect to understand God?
“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea” (Job 11:7-9). In light of this, how are we to respond when faced with things beyond our comprehension. We are to . . . .
“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” (Proverbs 3:5-6). “Trust,” that is to have “a bold, confidence in.”
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
These passages highlight that God’s will and purposes are often beyond human comprehension, yet Scripture calls us to trust, follow, and believe in His perfect wisdom. Now, His nature.
We are to interpret the unknown and incomprehensible in light of His:
Holiness – God is morally pure and separate from sin.
1 Peter 1:16 – “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Love – God is self-giving and unconditional in love.
1 John 4:8 – “God is love.”
Mercy – God shows compassion to the needy and undeserving.
Ephesians 2:4 – “But God, who is rich in mercy…”
Justice – God is fair and righteous in all His dealings.
Deuteronomy 32:4 – “All His ways are justice.”
Faithfulness – God keeps His promises.
Lamentations 3:22–23 – “Great is Your faithfulness.”
Wisdom – God applies knowledge perfectly to achieve good.
Romans 11:33 – “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”
Grace – God gives unmerited favor and blessings.
Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace you have been saved…”
Consider the composite of all of these in seeking to understand the unknown.
Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
The Texas floods have left many wondering why bad things happen to good people. The question has echoed through generations, challenging both faith and reason.
Some suffering remains a mystery. Human understanding is limited, and as Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, God’s ways are higher than ours. While we may not always find clear answers, we are assured of God’s presence in suffering and His promise that all things work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
From a Christian perspective, suffering is not necessarily a sign of divine disapproval or personal failure. The Bible acknowledges that the rain falls on both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). In a fallen world marred by sin, pain and hardship are part of the human condition. Even Jesus, the only truly sinless person, endured betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion. His sufferings were not the result of wrongdoing, but they had a purpose, redemption.
Sometimes suffering serves a refining purpose. Romans 5:3-4 teaches that tribulation produces perseverance, character, and hope. Difficulties often deepen our faith, humble our hearts, and increase our compassion for others. Job, a man described as blameless, experienced tremendous suffering, not because of sin, but as part of a larger spiritual reality that tested his trust in God.
Job was overcome with a cascade of trouble. What was Job’s reaction? “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Job did not understand why God had allowed the things He did, but he knew God was good and therefore continued to trust in Him. Ultimately, that should be our reaction as well.
Job had three resolves: I know my God, my God knows me, Yea, though He slay me yet will I trust Him.
When going through the loss of a person or possession we should view it from three perspectives.
First, consider it from the past with gratitude. Of all the people in the world, thank God you have had the blessing of the person or thing in your life. Rejoice.
Second, look around with grief. You may feel you are the only one to experience, but most people have the same amount throughout life.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Proverbs 34: 19). Live on the right side of that comma, beyond the “But….”
Researchers have done us a service in evaluating the stages through which we go when we suffer a major loss, failure, or defeat. In progression they are:
SHOCK, DENIAL, ANGER, MOURNING, DEPRESSION in that order. It is important to realize each stage as experienced. Work through each.
Most of us have not only seen people work through these stages, we have had to do so ourselves. Ultimately, while we may not understand every hardship, we can trust in God’s wisdom, justice, and love.
Three, look forward to life being influenced for good. How will the experience enable me to live a productive life for the better.
“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” (Proverbs 3: 5, 6).
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
-Annie Johnson Flint
Christianity and the Constitution
Even as we pause to celebrate the birth of our nation revisionists are extending themselves in efforts to destroy the foundations of faith on which our nation was established. What is their purpose? They profess it to be noble, but anyone who knows even the most elemental truth about construction knows what happens to a building when its foundation is destroyed.
Detractors attack the intellect of those who defend the influence of faith in our founding and exploit occasional misquotes by defenders. They argue correctly that many of the founders were not Christians, but fail to acknowledge their knowledge of, regard for, and subscription to Biblical principles. However, the record is replete with the testimony of legitimate historians who affirm the faith factor. Likewise those closely associated with the founding of our nation testify of the faith factor. Consider these attestants.
The “Father of Our Country,” George Washington, aligned patriotism with political prosperity, religion and morality when he asserted, “In vain would that man claim patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness.”
In a letter from John Adams written to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813, Adams wrote: “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”
A vital opinion of the founding our nation is found in the Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States of America, January 23, 1856, p. 354: “The great, vital, and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and the divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence and a ratifier of the Constitution in a letter to Elias Boudinot dated July 9, 1788, wrote: “I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.”
George Washington acknowledged his opinion of the importance of Divine influence in our national emergence in these words regarding the Constitution. “[The adoption of the Constitution] will demonstrate as visibly the finger of Providence as any possible event in the course of human affairs can ever designate it.”
Daniel Webster, who served as Secretary of State under three presidents, noted, “I regard it [the Constitution] as the work of the purest patriots, and wisest statesmen that ever existed, aided by the smiles of a benignant [gracious] Providence… it almost appears a Divine interposition in our behalf…”.
Benjamin Franklin did not shrink from acknowledging his belief in God at work in forging our Constitution. “I have so much faith in the general government of the world by Providence that I can hardly conceive a transaction of such momentous importance [as the framing of the Constitution]… should be suffered to pass without being in some degree influenced, guided, and governed by that… beneficent Ruler in whom all inferior spirits live and move and have their being.”
Having been bequeathed such a legacy, it is incumbent upon this generation to defend it and live so as to show appreciation for it.