How's Your Heart?

“Because your heart was penitent and you humbled yourself before the Lord …I also have heard you” (II Kings 22:19).

One of the many lessons I have learned about the Lord is that if he does anything well, it’s that he forgives us when we mess up. That’s just another way of saying that the Lord longs to show us grace, to forgive us when we sin against him. Anyone who desires to walk closely with Christ comes to realize that, among other things, God is truly a forgiving God. I count on that every day.

Yet as much as God longs to pour out forgiving grace upon us, his grace does not come without the necessary heart attitude on our part. That’s where the passage cited above speaks to each of us. I see two key words in the verse, words that set the tone for us to be on the receiving end of God’s forgiveness. Take a look.

The first word is “penitent.” In the original language, the word means “soft, weak or tender.” In other words, one thing the Lord looks for as we seek his forgiveness is the degree to which our hearts are not hard, defensive, closed or otherwise rebellious against him. Can you see that such attitudes preclude God’s forgiveness? He wants us to be soft towards him as we come to him to be forgiven.  

But note as well the word “humbled.” It means “to be subdued or brought low.” That’s simply suggests that a proud or haughty spirit does not find itself on the receiving end of forgiving grace. Put all of that together now. The verse tells us that God hears us when we have soft and subdued hearts as we seek his forgiving grace.

Let’s now make that practical for us. My guess is that many of us have something for which God’s forgiving grace is needed. And further, you may not have evidenced the attitudes of heart that God listens for as it relates to being on the receiving end of his forgiveness. As a result, you may find yourself sensing a degree of distance from God. What can you do to restore the close fellowship with God that he desires?

The answer is contained in the verse cited above. First, check your heart. In other words, make certain that your heart is soft and responsive to the Lord and what you know to be right. Don’t be defensive or rebellious. Let that go! Second, go to the Lord with genuine humility and lowliness of spirit. Such a posture on our part guarantees a listening ear on his part. 

I don’t know about you, but my spirit is always unsettled when there is something that I know I should take to the Lord, yet delay in doing so. If that describes you, act now. Check your heart and make the necessary adjustments so that the Lord might say to you, “I also have heard you.”