Proverbs 24:12, “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?
As I go to work each day, I have about a 45 minute drive that is often spent in prayer. Today, I met the LORD in personal confessional prayer. I said to Him, “LORD, I know you know every thought of my mind and heart, you know how quickly I can turn to wickedness and you know my inner most being; forgive me for these hidden sins that only you and I know about. Remove them far from me and draw me close to you.” As I continued to drive in silence, I felt His presence and with clarity, and I felt Him say, “Guard your Heart!”
I thought about this several times today and spoke to a sister in Christ that I work with about the matter and the question arose, “What does that mean?” “How deep and intricate is the guarding and what is the process to do so?” It gave me much to think about today and this statement “Guard your Heart” sprung to mind several times.
So, tonight as I enter devotional time for Proverbs, I was reminded of this passage. I remember it from the last time we looked at the passage, but as I come tonight with these thoughts on my heart I see that the message is that God ponders the heart and keeps the soul; and it is my responsibility to guard my heart by keeping it open to Him. He sees the emotions that drive me and He sees the secret thoughts. I am an open book before Him. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
As I continue to ponder this statement today, I begin with confessing my thoughts, motives, and need for righteous living. Proverbs 4: 20-27 gives us instruction on how to guard our hearts and what we must do to begin this process of guarding our hearts, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart; for they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a forward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand or to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” If we begin here by attending to His Words, then we have begun our course to guard our hearts. I ask that each of us come before the Father and seek His leading in teaching us how we are to guard our hearts.
Prayer: LORD, you alone are our inheritance, you are our blessing. You guard all that we are and have. You guard us and hide us in the shadow of your wings. You defend everyone who surrenders their life to your keeping. LORD, take control of what we say, think and feel. Teach us to guard our hearts against sin and the temptations that are constantly before us. Father, we guard our hearts for you to abide within. As you enter in, may you be please with what you find. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Abiding Still,
Connie Renfro ©
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