The Lying Heart

Jeremiah 17
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

10 "I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

The heart is considered the seat of emotions in our western culture. How many emotions can you list? Anger, fear, apathy, depression, love, happiness, etc. The list could go on for quite some length. Until you've personally dealt with the negative emotions on a gut wrenching level, you cannot judge how you would respond in any given situation and trying to do that, judge, makes you...well... judgmental.

The heart of the matter is what Jeremiah was trying to get us to understand. Jeremiah nailed it with his question, "Who can understand it?" As psychologists, we study emotions on so many different levels, but the One who understands the heart or emotions is the One we should turn to to get direction for our heart malfunctions. I am in no way minimizing the problems people face with emotional disturbances, but I do believe there is an answer.

Solomon in his wisdom gave us 78 references to the heart in the book of proverbs. All of which are a reference to the will, center of our appetites, and the mind. There is a slight variation in his use of the word heart in all the references, but essentially they are the same. He warns us to guard our hearts and trust in the Lord. It is easy to read the scriptures and know them by memory, but how often do we really trust the Lord with our emotions/heart. When you are angry, really angry, how honest are you with God? Do you cry out to the One Who already knows that you could bite nails in two? Or, when you are so depressed and all the light is gone and you do not even possess tunnel vision anymore...God already knows. So, the question we automatically ask is, "Why did God allow _______ to happen? (You fill in the blank.) Or, "Why doesn't God take away my ________? (You fill in the blank with your emotion.)

God does not have to answer for Himself, period. But God, being the God Who loves us and is just, does answer for Himself in His word. The ironic thing is that more often than not, our circumstances are the direct result of our own decisions or those around us making poor decisions. Proverbs is full of warnings and instruction and if we lived by them, we may find that our hearts would be at ease and our focus clearly in sync with God. True, when our circumstances are the direct result of someone else's choices, we look to God to "fix" the heart. The truth is God already fixed us through the Cross. God is the answer to mend a troubled heart.

Often, and definitely more often than not, our heart/emotional problems are rooted in sin. Sin is the new "four lettered" word. We want to be fixed. We want to feel good again. But, we do not want to deal with our part of the equation. Equation? Our sin + our circumstances = heart/emotional problems. Confession is a tool God provided us to deal with our emotional problems. Again, I want to emphasize that emotional problems are not simple fixes, but God can and will help you mend a troubled heart. Through Christ's redemptive work on the Cross, we can boldly approach the throne of Grace in confession of our sins.

Confession is a spring board to wellness. In James Penebaker's book Opening Up, he documents the physical benefits of expressing emotional pain in writing. In one study, he found that t-lympocytes (positive immunity cells)increased in the group that wrote from an emotional perspective about trauma they had experienced as opposed to two other groups that just wrote about facts void of emotion. Looking at this study from a spiritual perspective, one can surmise the benefits of confessing anger, depression, and general negative emotions associated with traumatic experiences. This is not to say that the traumatic event that may have occurred is in any way sinful on your part, but your reactions and behaviors following the event may result in sinful behavior (i.e. unresolved anger, substance abuse, promiscuity). These behaviors, left unchecked, will cause further emotional distress that will disrupt an otherwise joyful and productive life.

To conclude on the subject of sin and confession, confession truly is good for the soul/heart/emotions. An interesting side note on the word mind in verse 10, it means the seat of emotion and affection. God searches the heart and mind AND He understands it. Confessing to Him can and will begin the healing process. Simple? Yes. Easy? No. Who wants to admit fault to anyone? But, I encourage you to start the journey, journaling as you go.

Abba Father, I trust you with all that I am. As you search my heart, help me to openly confess to You the recesses of my dark heart. Amen.

Pennebaker, J. W. (1990). Opening up: the power of expressing emotions. New York: Guilford Press.