God Knows Our Heart

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Postpartum Depression

I wrote several weeks ago about the moment I believe I had an angel encounter following a car accident. You can read about it here. I didn’t mention in that blog post what happened around the car accident. A group of ladies from our church had gone to a ‘Women Of Faith’ conference. The few months leading up to the conference, I had struggled with postpartum depression, and had shared my struggles with no one. Many days I would cry for no reason, and feelings of helplessness held me paralyzed.

In the arena in downtown Houston, I sat fighting tears. Watching the women worship, I felt more alone than ever. All I could think about was how I could feel this alone in a room of 10,000 women. The despair got so intense I needed to escape.

I made my excuses, got in my car and left. Three intersections later, I ended up in the car accident, which led to the angel encounter. I had called my friends that were still at the conference and told them what happened. I distinctly remember looking up in my rearview mirror and seeing these two gals frantically running down the street. In that moment, the Lord spoke to me, ‘you are not alone.’

The Flood Of Tears

Once the police left and the car towed, my friends took me to a restaurant. There, the flood of tears I had held onto so tightly came flowing out. I shared all that I had struggled with, and the love these two friends shared that day was insurmountable. As we drove the two-hour car ride home, they encouraged me and prayed for me, and that led to me going to the doctor and getting the help I needed.

Now, every time I feel alone, I picture these two crazy ladies running down the street to me and God whispers again, ‘you are not alone.’

If you are struggling with depression of any kind, please seek help. Talk to a friend. A Christian counselor or therapist can help you in so many ways. If you would like prayer, please fill out the form below. I love praying for you.

Solomon Dedicating The Temple

2 Chronicles 6 shares the story of Solomon dedicating the temple. David had provided the blueprints, divided the priests into priestly roles, wrote the songs, and even gave exact measurements of each article made of gold that would go in the temple. David longed to build the temple, but God said no. Solomon took everything his father supplied and built the ornate temple exactly as the plans described.

God’s Point Of View

One more thing before moving on… My favorite Bible teacher, Dr. Bill Creasy, says that the author(s) of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings wrote them from mans point of view. The author of 1 and 2 Chronicles wrote it from God’s point of view. So, what we read in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings are as man would see the stories. If you have read them, you will notice there is a lot more drama and scandal in those books. 1 and 2 Chronicles reveal what God wants us to get from the stories. This gave me an entirely new perspective on reading these books.

God Knows Our Heart

“For you alone know each human heart.”

2 Chronicles 6:30b NLT

God knows our heart. Reading that does something within me. God created each one of us. He knit us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). God knows the number of hairs on our head (Luke 12:7), and He knows our heart.

Matthew Henry says this in his commentary, “All men’s thoughts, aims, and affections, are naked and open before him; and, however the imaginations and intents of our hearts may be concealed from men, angels, and devils, they cannot be hidden from God, who knows not only what is in the heart, but the heart itself and all the beatings of it.”

Does this scare you or bring you peace? For some who try to hide their sin from God, this could feel unnerving. For me, it brings great peace. To know I cannot hide anything from God and that all my sin is laid out before Him and He still loves me? Wow! There is no other person, religion, spiritual practice or the like that still shows this kind of love in our wrongdoing.

He knows everything we think, everything we feel, and He knows when we are hurting. When I struggled with postpartum depression and later other forms of depression, I knew that no matter how ‘off’ I felt, God knew what was going on. I knew He would not leave me that way and that brought a significant amount of peace and hope.

He knows everything we think and feel, and He knows when we are hurting. When I struggled with postpartum depression, I knew that no matter how ‘off’ I felt, God knew what was going on. I knew He would not leave me that way and… Click To Tweet

The Lord Sees Every Heart

This was not the first time we read this thought in the Bible. David gives this advice to Solomon towards the closing of 1 Chronicles.

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

1 Chronicles 28:9 NLT

We need to take this scripture and frame it. David reiterates to his son Solomon to know God intimately, to worship and serve Him with his whole heart, and to seek Him. As with many scriptures, there is a warning: do not forsake Him.

What does it look like to do this?

To Know God Intimately

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”

Matthew 22:37 NLT

When we place God above all things, our family, friends, tasks, jobs, etc. we desire more of Him. This closeness makes us more malleable for God to mold our hearts to become more like Him. The result: an intimate relationship with God.

To Worship And Serve Him With Our Whole Heart.

Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Luke 4:8 NLT

I shared on worship last week, so I will not do it again. I encourage you to read it if you have not done so here. But, let’s look at serving Him. What does that look like?

To answer this, we need to look at Matthew, where Satan tempts Jesus. Satan says, “I will give it all to you, if you will kneel down and worship me.” Then Jesus replies, “Get out of here, Satan. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Matthew 4:9-10 NLT

We cannot serve two masters. God calls us to serve Him, and to do His will. Follow the things He asks us to do. When we have that intimate relationship, we are more in tune with God’s desires for us and we follow God’s leading and not our own. The result: we serve Him better.

To seek Him

I love this one. Seeking means to look for something. Seeking means we are always looking for something new about God, to experience more of Him, to want to hear His voice. In the same way He knows every intricate part of our hearts, we seek to know His heart. It’s exciting and the result: drawing closer to a more intimate relationship.

I would love to hear ways you seek, worship, serve, and know Him intimately. When you all share your thoughts and experiences, it helps the entire community to grow. Please share them in the comments below. Thank you ahead of time for your contributions.