Matters of the heart

This morning I read a devotional by Spurgeon. He talked about Lydia, in Acts 16:14, where Scripture says that God "opened her heart". A few days ago I read a meditation on I Samuel 10:26 by John Piper that emphasized God "touching the hearts" of valiant men. The coincidence of reading two different meditations about God's relating to hearts got me curious. How else does God work in hearts?

What I discovered was really interesting: In I Samuel 16:7 God "looks at the heart", Psalms 44:21 says he "knows the secrets of my heart". God "creates a clean heart" in Psalm 51:10. God "pierces" hearts (Acts 2:37), "searches" hearts "Romanos 8:27". Christ "dwells" in my heart (Eph 3:17) and "directs" hearts (II Thessalonians 3:5)

Mostly, it seems God does all those things through His Word. Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sights, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."(NAS)

I wonder how often I "harden" my heart to God's searching, piercing presence, and why in the world I do that? I can not hide from Him. He looks at it, knows it, examines it. The God who is there-- dwelling in my heart-- wants to open it to His touch. I find that amazing.