I have written previously about experiencing seasons of
being “hemmed in” by God. Seasons in
which things in my life have been quiet and there was no apparent outlet for
creative ideas and visions to be expressed.
Those were often discouraging times that left me with a bit of a broken
heart. Times when I was confused about
God’s direction for my life, confused about whether the dreams He has begun to
stir and vision that He provided were ever going to be used or released.
Proverbs 13:12 says it well when it states that “hope
deferred makes the heart sick.” I have
definitely experienced a heart-sick feeling in many recent seasons of my life.
However, God has recently been impressing upon me why He has
hemmed me in at various times.
Over the course of the last 5 years especially, God has shown
me what is most precious to His heart.
He has shown me that what is most precious to His heart is my
heart. That my heart is the treasure of
His kingdom. Not my service to Him, not
my potential to advance the Kingdom, not my ability to be productive for good (and
even great) purposes, but my heart.
That is a pretty radical thought, given the world that we
live in. We live in a world and a system
in which productivity and profit and gain is often valued over health,
wholeness, quality of life and relationship.
This is as true in the world as it is in the church. Well-meaning people who want to “do” for God,
want good things to help the world and the body of Christ, who just don’t place
value in the treasure of the human heart. I submit it is because they just don’t
understand the importance of it.
What value does God place on the human heart? Well, He says in Proverbs 4:23 "above ALL else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." So I submit that it is of the utmost importance to Him.
The shift in my heart since beginning to understand this has
been considerable. What used to feel
like heart-sickness has transformed into heart-fullness. I feel loved, really loved. That God has quieted my circumstances in
order to pour love into me. He has
protected me from “good” things in order to set me apart for great things. The greatest being receiving much needed love
from Him. He has invested so much in me
and wants to guard that which He has poured in.
I am in awe of that kind of love.
My hope is that you will reflect on the seasons in your own
life of being hemmed in and ask God to reveal to you, with fresh eyes and a
soft heart, His loving purposes in doing so.
Peace and joy to you.
