Tuesday July 5, 2022

 

I was so moved, so ministered to, so challenged with the words from my morning devotional the other day. 

The real-life narrative went like this:

 

In 2012, Phillips, Craig and Dean released their song “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again.” It was inspired by the true story of a heart surgeon. After removing a patient’s heart to repair it, the surgeon returned it to the chest and began gently massaging it back to life. But the heart wouldn’t restart. More intense measures followed, but the heart still wouldn’t beat. 

Finally, the surgeon knelt next to the unconscious patient and spoke to her: “Miss Johnson,” he said, “this is your surgeon. The operation went perfectly. Your heart has been repaired. Now tell your heart to beat again.” And her heart began to beat. 

The idea that we could tell our physical heart to do something might seem strange, but it has spiritual parallels… 

(Our Daily Bread - June 26, 2022)

 

God, our heavenly Surgeon, has often taken our broken hearts and repaired them. He has often taken the many shards of our shattered souls and put them back together again. And His divine operations always go perfectly. 

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” ~Psalm 147:3

 

But then, sometimes, our hearts don’t start automatically beating again just because they have been placed, healed and whole, back into us. Sometimes, like so many people mentioned in the Bible, we also need to speak to our hearts and tell them to beat again. 

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” ~Psalm 42:5,11; Psalm 43:5

"Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." ~Psalm 116:7

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” ~Psalm 27:14

These and others are words of truth, words of hope, words of courage and words of determination declared to our repaired but still non-beating hearts, to speak new life into them again. 

 

Like Judge Deborah proclaimed in song after she and Barak and their Israelite army were victorious over the oppressive Canaanites many centuries ago: 

“March on, my soul; be strong!” ~Judges 5:21

In the midst of my own battles, I too can say: “March on, my soul.” In the midst of my own struggles, I too can state: “My soul, be strong.” When living seems impossible, when the way forward seems too unclear, when the road seems too daunting, when the mountains seem too high and the valleys too low, and when God seems distant and silent throughout - then I can and I need to speak words of bravery to my own heart: “O my soul, march on with strength!”

 

And you too, dear friend. Whatever you are facing today, as hard and sad and bad as it might appear to be, you too can speak with courage to your heart: 

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

“March on, my soul; be strong!” 

My friend: tell your heart to beat again. 

 

To finish off this reflection, I encourage you to listen to Danny Gokey singing “Tell Your Heart To Beat Again”, 

here at this link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUHRDCYnFfg

+ REFLECTIONS