“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23(ESV).
“Speak to me, O LORD
Speak the words I need to know.
Speak Your wonderful Words of truth,
As my faith continues to grow.
Speak all knowledge and wisdom of You
And open my heart each day,
So I hear Your voice in the morning,
And know what Your Word will say.”
After listening to Pastor Lori’s teaching on September 9th, I felt a nudge to seek something deeper. Although I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, I began to explore various journals from my past. As I flipped through a few, I opened one that contained devotional notes, scriptures, and my daily prayers. On the first page, I discovered a poem. None of the devotionals referenced Proverbs, but I had been asking God for His wisdom and for a heart that could hear Him clearly.
Pastor Lori posed a reflection question: “What is that one verse that stood out today that you could spend the rest of your life practicing as you follow Jesus?” I found my answer in the lines of my poem: “And open my heart each day, so I hear Your voice in the morning.” How wonderful it is that our God speaks into our hearts! I often pray to see as God sees, for my heart to be in rhythm with His, and that my heart doesn’t run ahead of His will for me. I desire to walk hand in hand and heart to heart with my Lord.
I remembered a beautiful moment with God just before the 10th anniversary of my water baptism this year on August 30th. I read the opening words of my baptism scriptures from Psalm 116, which say, “I love the LORD, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” I said to the LORD, “But I didn’t call to You, yet You still showed up.” He reminded me that He turned His ear to hear my heart. In my silence, He knew my heart was crying out for Him. Our hearts are important to God.
As I reflected on these thoughts, Proverbs 4:23 came to mind: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (NLT). This reminded me of the Armor of God described in Ephesians 6, particularly the Breastplate of Righteousness, which symbolizes the protection of our hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 warns us that the heart is deceitful; in verse 10, the LORD states that He searches the heart and tests the mind. It’s important to ask God daily to search our hearts, to help us understand what is grievous or impure (Psalm 139:23-24), and to create in us clean and pure hearts, renewing our spirits (Psalm 51:10).
I also thought of Jesus’ words in Luke 6:45: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” This serves as a reminder to keep our hearts clean, producing good fruit, performing good deeds, and speaking positive words. I envision our hearts as generators that power our thoughts, shaping our actions and words. If that generator becomes rusted, corroded, or broken down due to negligent use, the good fruit we should produce will not flourish, and it may become bruised or rotten. Ultimately, our system fails to function correctly.
We often ask God to search our hearts, but I believe we also have a role to play in this process. How can we keep our hearts pure and vigilant, being mindful of potential dangers? This thought led me back to Proverbs 2:3-6, where it encourages us to call out for insight and raise our voices for understanding. We are to seek wisdom as we would search for silver or hidden treasures. When we do this, we will come to understand and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 4:7 tells us to get wisdom, and James 1:5 reassures us that if we ask God, He will give it generously. Wisdom is something we must actively seek and request. It is a gift from God that helps keep our hearts pure and vigilant.
I asked myself, “How can I become more like Jesus, fully living out Proverbs 3:5-6—trusting the Lord with all my heart?” I realized that a heart filled with darkness, bitterness, hate, or sinful thoughts leaves no space for the treasures that God longs to give us out of His love.
The English Standard Version beautifully states that from our hearts flow the springs of life. Being visual, I imagined a gentle, flowing, crystal-clear stream that lasts a lifetime, collecting no impurities. I pray that our hearts are emptied of anything unholy, impure, or unworthy of our generous and loving Father, allowing Him to fill us with His great treasures.
To express this further, I began a prayer with my poem:
“Speak to us, Lord, speak the words we need to know. Speak Your wonderful Words of Truth as our faith continues to grow. Speak all knowledge and wisdom of You and open our hearts each day, so we hear Your voice each morning and know what Your Word will say. Your Word is a treasure, Lord; a lamp and light that guides us. May it forever be hidden in our hearts that we may not sin against You. Help us, Lord, to keep our hearts pure and vigilant. Thank You for our Greatest Treasure, our Lord Jesus Christ. We hold Him in our hearts and pray in His holy name. Amen.”
