The Heart Never Forgets...

I was driving this morning to an appointment with my Mother-in-Law and had one of my favorite praise and worship CD's on (Paul Wilbur's "Your Great Name." GET THE CD!!). I had not been "feeling" particularly spiritual or even close to the Lord at that moment. As a matter of fact, I had really been struggling in my walk with Him because life was, and still is, happening. It was the first bit of praise and worship I had listened to this morning and I hadn't had any time in the word, either, so needless to say my heart wasn't to tender at the time. Struggles with money, health, transportation, and ministry, seem endless and the one place I should run to, I was having a hard time entering. The presence of the Lord is the safest place to be in moments like these, but life makes it difficult. Ever been there? There now?

 Well, when it came to the chorus of one of my favorite songs on the CD, "Nobody Like You," something happened. Each time I heard the words "Holy, is the Lord of Glory..." my heart felt like it took a couple extra beats. It was funny, as if the Holy Spirit was shouting, "CLEAR!!" and then shocking me with the paddles from a crash cart! My spirit remembered what it was like to praise Him, even though my mind, will, and emotions were being extremely and exhaustingly challenged. I had no joy. There was no lasting peace. Frustration and sadness seem to be my constant companions. BUT there is something about praise that causes the heart to remember where it came from. That place within us, that reborn place, our spirit, recognizes the voice that created it. It recognizes the DNA that it shares with the Almighty (Gen 2:7) and responds when it hears Him speak. My spirit remembered His presence even though I couldn't sense Him near.

 The heart never forgets. When one encounters the Spirit and presence of God, you never forget what that is like. And whenever you step into that place again, whenever you relive that moment, something within you comes alive regardless of where you are and what you are experiencing. And the purpose for that moment of remembrance is to cause us to remember further what His presence meant for us when we first met Him. It's for us to remember the joy that we experienced, the peace that engulfed us, the love we felt, and the purpose we recognized. It's to cause us to remember who we are and Who's we are. That then leads us to remember the loving, accepting, and father heart of God toward us, realizing that because He's here everything will be alright, regardless of what we see. That remembrance causes us to recognize the power of the Mighty One on our behalf and to recall that no matter what we face, HE is working it all for our good. Then comes the challenge of Is. 53:1 "Who has BELIEVED our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" After these moments of remembrance, we are faced with the challenge of who and what we will choose to believe. Will we believe what the circumstances say, or will we believe what God says about the circumstance?

 Life doesn't play fair. Life tries to wring us out like a wet towel draining all the life blood we possess. But God is the giver of life and if we will set our gaze upon Him regardless of our circumstances and issues, He will replenish what has been drained out of us through the cares of life. Stuff is hard, but God's love and faithfulness toward us and to His word are MUCH stronger.


  •  The voice of circumstance rattles the walls, but the voice of God shatters the mountains
  •  The gaze of circumstance causes our knees to knock, but the gaze of God makes demons tremble
  •  The arm of circumstances press us down, but the arm of the Lord scatters His enemies and sets captives free
  •  The presence of circumstances brings hopelessness and depression, but the presence of the Lord brings fullness of joy and pleasures forever

 We must decide what we want because God has already decided what He wants to give. The heart yearns for this. The heart craves this. The heart hungers for His presence because... The Heart Never Forgets.

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