Introduction
A few years ago I found myself in an ambulance heading towards the Accident and Emergency Department of my local hospital. I was about to embark on what a friend later described as a ‘two centre mini-break that you had no recollection of booking!’ I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, and the terrain of my life swiftly changed and I had to adjust to a different pace of life. The experience set me thinking not only, more seriously about the heart and its crucial role in keeping us alive, but also about the heart from a spiritual point of view.
I discovered that in the Bible there are approximately 508 references to the heart. These verses highlight many aspects of the heart and provide various instructions and promises concerning our hearts.
Over the coming fortnight we will look together at some of these verses – beginning with five verses from the Old Testament and then moving on to five verses from the New Testament.
Before we consider any verses, I would like you to take a piece of paper and to jot down, as many phrases/expressions that include the word heart, as you can think of that we use in everyday language, as we communicate with those around us. For example: change of heart/heart of gold/young at heart/broken hearted, to name but a few.
Take your time, there is no rush. When no more phrases/expressions come to mind, look over those you have written and chose the three that stand out most to you for today. Perhaps highlight them or circle them. Then take each one in turn and
Reflect on what prompted you to choose that one?
What do you feel about it?
What is God saying to you about it?
You may like to record your reflections in your journal.