Mind and Heart

We are journeying through Psalm 139. To read the previous reflection, click here.

O LORD, you examine me and know me.

You know when I sit down and when I get up;

even from far away you understand my motives.

You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;

you are aware of everything I do.

Certainly my tongue does not frame a word

without you, O LORD, being thoroughly aware of it.

You squeeze me in from behind and in front;

you place your hand on me.

Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;

it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.

Where can I go to escape your Spirit?

Where can I flee to escape your presence?

If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there.

If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.

If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn,

and settle down on the other side of the sea,

even there your hand would guide me,

your right hand would grab hold of me.

If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,

and the light will turn to night all around me,”

even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,

and the night is as bright as day;

darkness and light are the same to you.

Certainly you made my mind and heart;

you wove me together in my mother’s womb.

 

Psalm 139:13

Have you ever put the wrong fuel in your car? I don’t recommend it. Engines are built to run at their optimal performance with specific fuel. The wrong fuel can destroy the engine.

The mind and heart are the engines of life, and they were made for optimal performance with specific fuel. That fuel is love. No wonder the world is sputtering and smoking, backfiring and crashing all around us! There seems to be a clear shortage of love.

The fuel crisis we need to be worried about is not the fuel that lies beneath the earth in the Middle East. It is the fuel that comes from the One who made us and gave His life that we would never lack. There is no price gouging in His economy, no scarcity or corruption. There is no withholding the fuel our hearts and minds need to operate at our optimal human capacity.

Jesus made sure of that on Calvary.

On His way to the cross, He explained to the expert religious leaders what the heart, soul, and mind are made for, and what they run on:

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:36-40

If we are not being fueled by love, we are at risk of destruction. 

But it’s not as easy as pulling up to a petrol station and filling the tank, you say. How do we fuel our hearts with love in a world running on fear?

Well the car you drive and the heart you have are not so very different. The process starts the same. 

Stop.

I personally have never seen a car being fueled while it’s driving down the highway at 80 miles per hour. Even race cars have to make a pit stop.

When is the last time we stopped? Pulled over, turned off the engine?

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Let’s take this one step at a time. Let’s just stop today, at the right pump, and choose the service line. It costs a little more, but I hear the Attendant always fills you up even if all you have is a ten-dollar bill.

Lord, I choose to stop today and let You fill me. Amen. 

@audreycfrank

Photo by Jack Blueberry on Unsplash