21/11/2023
The Searching Heart
In the heart of every person there is a longing.
A longing that is meshed within purpose of life, understanding of self , a search for identity and lastly hope for good that stretches beyond mere temperance but for eternity.
Driven by our emotions excitement, fear, expectation, anticipation, will power and determination we take on the journey with nothing more than a shimmering light to guide our path.
From our life experiences with loved ones, friends and culture we can come up really close to fulfilment and also completely far away, left wandering lost and in despair.
Nobody really prepares us for this journey or it’s outcomes, And it’s only as we travel that we find many before us who all share the same experiences or short falls, and know well the incomplete path to fulfilling the cry of the heart.
Strangely yet, they are the ones that we turn to, seeking ultimate truth and direction from when we are lost or sliding away.
It’s at this crucible we find ourselves coming to the fork in the road and facing a decision to either go left or right or stand with those who are also stuck guide-less at the fork.
Interestingly enough life, years, relationships and experiences have come and gone and all that remains is the memories of days gone by. Memories of hopes and dreams and reminders of paths once travelled.
In all this the thing that remains is The heart which is left with many questions of what might have been and what now lays ahead and seeks to resolve all experiences into a narrative of self.
A song I listened to as a child was called “Never let go of your hand” - in this song Don Francisco a famous gospel guitarist rights of the very struggle of the individual and the pain of choices that affect us so deeply. The opening line of the song goes:
I know what you've been hearing
I've seen you hide your fear
Embarrased by your weaknesses
Afraid to let Me near
I wish you knew how much I long
For you to understand
No matter what may happen, child
I'll never let go of your hand
I know you've been forsaken
By all you've known before
When you've failed their expectations
They frown and close the door
But even though your heart itself
Should lose the will to stand
No matter what may happen, child
I'll never let go of your hand”
and in the main chorus he writes about the loving comfort God gives for us to lean on him built with the picture for purpose in the words:
“the life that I have given you No one can take away
I've sealed it with My Spirit, blood and word
The everlasting Father has made His covenant with you
And He's stronger than the world you've seen and heard
So don't you fear to show them
All the love I have for you
I'll be with you everywhere
In everything you do
And even if you do it wrong
And miss the joy I planned
I'll never, never let go of your hand
For many in secret, the question is this: is there really an answer to the heart and this searching/ longing that I have inside, I have come all this way and I am yet to find the fulfilment in the life I have been living.
Brother of the son another Don Francisco classic again repeats the fact that God hears us and knows exactly what we need.
In honesty I pose this to you Secretly in your heart have you asked: Are the things that I cling to helping me or hindering me? Are there places I need to explore to realise my path and am I really genuine in that search or just looking to validate my current life choices and pretending to hide the pain.
This is the point where Jesus steps in. He says, without seeking qualification from you “all you who are weak and heavy laden come to me find rest, take my yoke upon you for it is light.”
Give up the struggle you’re owning which you clearly are not winning, find rest in me and trust me to set you free and guide your path forward.
So Many who walk know of or have heard of the footprints in the sand poem. The cry of the heart that is wondering why it is abandoned in the dark times and the loneliness that seems to apparently consume it.
From the lost perspective without God this is the reality that is, when you shift your view and see it through the eyes of Gods love for us you see clearly it is God who keeps us at all times.
In the psalms written by David we see clearly that he was a man who struggled even as King over a nation. He writes from his lesson learnt:
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”
Psalms 37:4-5 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.37.4-5.NKJV
Those who find this truth and apply it know well by Godly revelation the inexplicable joy found in this very moment of connecting with God and the completely encompassing position of his spirit.
Along the series of songs written by Don Francisco on the heart answer he wrote a wonderful song declaring with joy “I found the answer to all of my pain, I found the way to start living again, I’ll say it out loud Jesus is who he says, I believe I. My heart that he roses from the dead”.
What an amazing expression of joy that occurs the moment where self meets God and the overwhelming flood of his love for us consumes every part of our being bringing a resolve to much that we know of and also of that which we do not know.
Will you today answer or seek to resolve the cry of your heart by seeking Christ or will you squash it down and continue to struggle relying on self and others around you who are also lost and never find that answer you seek.
Don’t ignore the cry, don’t fight alone start the search now and fulfil the purpose that has been hidden from your view for so long by your own hand.
God Bless
Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
