Heart that trusts in the Lord
June 6, 2023 - Tuesday, 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 112:1-2, 7-8, 9
In our reflection on Psalm 112 yesterday we focused our attention on the fear of the Lord. Today, let us meditate on a heart that trusts in the Lord. The psalmist tells us that the heart of a righteous one is firm and steadfast, trusting in the Lord. There is a tribe in Central America that greets each other with a question: “How is your heart today?” So, how is your heart? Steadfast or doubtful? Peaceful or filled with worries and anxieties?
According to the Scriptures, the heart is the source of our thoughts and intentions that leads either to evil or good action. The book of Proverbs states that we should “guard [our] heart, for everything [we] do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23). Unfortunately, the Bible does not have a good opinion about human hearts. In the book of Genesis, before and after the Flood, the Lord states “that every intention of the thoughts of [human] heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5; 8:21). The history of humanity confirms God’s diagnosis of the condition of our heart. If we are honest, we have to acknowledge that our inclination towards evil is stronger than towards good. Saint Paul said that we often do what we hate instead of doing what is right (see Rom 7:15). So, how can our hearts be transformed? Only by the grace of God.
The alpha video course includes the testimony of Shane Taylor, a former prisoner sentenced for two attempted murders. Attending Alpha course in prison, one day he uttered this following prayer: “God if you’re real, come into my life because I hate who I am”. His heart was instantly transformed. Now he is a husband and a father of four children and he does Bible reading with them in the evenings. He is also involved in prison ministry helping other prisoners to experience God’s transforming grace.
There is a promise in the Bible about a new covenant between God and us that would transform our hearts: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (see Jer 31:31-34). This covenant has been realised in Jesus Christ. Saint Paul says that anyone who believes in Christ and is baptised becomes a new person. “The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17). Such a person becomes a living temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in them. By God’s grace, we are justified, made righteous (see Rom 3:23-24) and enabled to trust in the Lord.
The heart of the righteous person “is firm, trusting in the Lord” (Ps 112:7). Trust happens in a close relationship. We trust our parents, friends, and teachers because we know them and they have proven themselves reliable. This is also applicable to God with the exception that God is infinitely more trustworthy than any human being can be. The more one gets to know God in a close relationship with him, the more we know the living Jesus, and the more we trust in Him knowing that He can never fail us, and that his love for us is unbreakable.