Our heart is a muscle and nothing more. It beats 100,000 times a day with the same force as giving a tennis ball a good squeeze.
Our heart keeps us alive with little complaint or extra effort on our part. We never see it, only sense it in times of extreme physical activity, and place our trust in it every single day that we walk the face of God’s earth.
We hardly know it’s there.
Yet, we say our heart is breaking; our heart is sad; love resides in our heart. What do we mean by all this?
We are speaking of our emotions, of course. The muscle in our chest responds to our emotions, but it is no more than a muscle; a fist-sized knot of pulsing energy that pumps gallon after gallon of blood through our body, keeping us healthy and strong for a lifetime.
So, a knife plunged into our heart is really the pain of sundered emotions. We hurt, we grab our chest, and we double over in pain.
Still, our heart beats, and we continue to draw in breath. We live, even as the pain consumes us.
What pain consumes God?
John 3:16 is the lynchpin of the Bible.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
The very thought of his creation leaping to their destruction pained God enough that he gave up his most precious possession, his Son, to give us the opportunity to come to him.
Romans 6:23 lays out the choice we are given.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When we choose our own way, God’s heart is torn with sorrow. His one desire is for us to turn to him.
Romans 3:23 is the wall that no human can get past.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
God cannot help who he is, for by his very nature, his glory shines forth from his holy throne. Even so, he looks past that and reaches his hand unto us.
Matthew 25:41 reveals the moment of God’s utter devastation.
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ”
He does not send the wicked from him with glee. Rather, he is cut to the core that some would choose to follow the paths of evil.
Revelation 21:8 lists that which crushes God’s heart.
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Remember, these are God’s own creation. He is watching his children, having made their choices, be destroyed painfully and with no further chance for redemption.
Luke 22:44 is the broken heart of God.
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Yes, this passage refers to Jesus’ desperate desire to avoid the pain of the cross. Even more, it tells us of his willingness to endure that pain so that humanity could know the rescuing hand of God the Father, lifting them up from their sin and despair.
We know the knife that plunges into our hearts. It is betrayal, love cast aside, and disregard for the relationships that make up our lives.
It is the same knife that plunges into the heart of God. It is why he sent Jesus for our redemption, so that we could salve that wound and let his love flow forth once more.
When we come to God, we caress his heart with our presence, and he knows the joy of our love.
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