Matters Of The Heart

God shapes our heart so we can shape the heart of others. This is His purpose in pain and suffering. King David was referred to as a man after God's own heart. David did not lead a perfect life, but God was able to reach him in the midst of his failures and tragedies. Ravi Zacharias has written a book titled "The Grand Weaver" which talks about how God shapes us through the events of our lives. He says, "God the Grand Weaver seeks those with tender hearts so that he can put his imprint on them. Your hurts and your disappointments are part of that design, to shape your heart and the way you feel about reality. The hurts you live through will always shape you. There is no other way." Hebrews 2:10 is a fascinating verse. It says, "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering." God had a purpose for allowing his son to suffer and he has a purpose in allowing you to suffer. In John Chapter 9 the disciples see a man who was blind from birth and they ask Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

God shapes our hearts and displays his work to the world through us. Like Job, the world watches as we struggle through our pain and suffering. Through trials, our hearts will either be hardened, broken or made more tender. The choice is ours. Zacharias says, "Only if you are willing to pray sincerely for God's will to be done and are willing to live the life apportioned to you will you see the breathtaking view of God that he wants you to have, through the windows he has placed in your life. You cannot always live on the mountaintop, but when you walk through the valley, the memory of the view from the mountain will sustain you and give you strength to carry you through."

A woman after God's own heart. A woman who did not grow bitter or blame God for her pain. A woman who shaped the hearts of thousands because she first allowed God to shape hers. These are the things I want people to say about me when I have gone on to spend eternity with Jesus. What will people say about you?