God is Greater than our Hearts

 I John 3:19-20 .  " Encouraging our Hearts"

 " Many years ago a young Midwestern lawyer suffered from such deep depression that his friends thought it best to keep all knives and razors out of his reach. He questioned his life's calling and the prudence of even attempting to follow it through. During this time he wrote, "I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not." But somehow, from somewhere, Abraham Lincoln received the encouragement he needed, and the achievements of his life thoroughly vindicated his bout with discouragement. "

(Today in the Word, MBI, December, 1989, p. 20,  Swindoll, You and Your Problems Transformed by Thorns, p. 58.)

" We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him, in whenever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things." I John 3:19-20 

Our hearts may sometimes need reassurance, no matter how deeply rooted our assurance is.  We live when these things are still not accepted by a lot.  But I think if we read the Bible, we will see that there are a few characters that eventually got through it that did go through some kind of deep dark thoughts of giving up.  I thought of Elijah in I Kings 18 for ex. who had just come through a battle with the prophets of Baal, and now was exhausted.  I Kings 19 he says " O LORD, take away my life..." vs 4 .  Sleep and good food were part of the cure by the angel  who came to him. 

David as well knew about the blues , " I am like a broken vessel"  Psalms 31

" True  believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished....; as by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grievth the Spirit...by God's withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light..."  WCF  ch 18

"The age-adjusted suicide rate in 2020 was 13.48 per 100,000 individuals.

The rate of suicide is highest in middle-aged white men.

In 2020, men died by suicide 3.88x more than women.

On average, there are 130 suicides per day.

White males accounted for 69.68% of suicide deaths in 2020.

In 2020, firearms accounted for 52.83% of all suicide deaths.

93% of adults surveyed in the U.S. think suicide can be prevented." afsp.org/suicide-statistics

In depression, the central core of severe depression is a state of mind where the self seems worthless, the outer world meaningless, and the future hopeless...

William Cowper , author of " There is a Fountain filled with Blood" a well-known English poet whose mother died when he was 6, said there was never a time when he had not mourned his mother's death.  Studied to be a lawyer.  He became a believer, but experienced re-occuring depression, and even sought to end his life.

A.How we may reassure our hearts

a greek word for convince /persuade 3:19 "We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and reassure our heart before Him...whenever our hearts condemn us."  this probably refers back to 3:18  " love in deed and truth"

Think back perhaps to what you have done. 4:7 says, " everyone who loves is born of God and knows God"  There are things we can point to, not things we have felt necessarily or imagined, but things that we have done.

Loving others begins with loving ourselves Jesus said.

1. Be active if possible, and continue to be.  Help someone else with their house, family,or garden.

2.Read the Psalms that discuss and are written by others in trouble.

3. Read positive books that are realistic portraits of those who have  wrestled with suffering/ failures.

Luther, the reformer in Germany, said, " When I am assailed with heavy tribulations, I rush out among my pigs rather than remain alone by myself.  So the human heart, unless it be occupied with some employment, leaves space for the devil who wriggles himself in and brings with him a whole host of evil thoughts, temptations and tribulations, which grind out the heart."

B.  Whenever our heart condemns, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.  3:20

   He knows and understands.  Ps 103:14  " He Himself knows our frame, He is mindful that we are but dust."

-our hearts are not infallible, and correct all the time.  God knows us better than we know ourselves, and can reassure us.

He sympathizes with our weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15-16 ---we have a great High Priest who was tempted in all as we are , yet He is without sin.

Let us therefore draw near to His throne, where we may find mercy and help in time of need. vs 16

Conclude with more about William Cowper-"Cowper became close friends with the Evangelical clergyman John Newton; together they co-authored the Olney Hymns, which was first published in 1779 and included Newton's famous hymn "Amazing Grace." Of the 68 hymns Cowper wrote, "Oh for a closer walk with God" and "God moves in a mysterious way" are the most well known."

"He had terrible nightmares, believing that God has rejected him. Cowper would never again enter a church or say a prayer. When he recovered his health, he kept busy by gardening, carpentry, and keeping animals. In spite of periods of acute depression, Cowper's twenty-six years in Olney and later at Weston Underwood were marked by great achievement as poet, hymn-writer, and letter-writer. His first volume of poetry, Poems by William Cowper, of the Inner Temple was published in 1782 to wide acclaim. His work was compared to late Neo-Classical writers like Samuel Johnson as well as to poets such as Thomas Gray."

Whatever is happening in our world our faith as reformed Christians is that God is there.  He knows, and He cares.  Our job is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.  Our lives go up and down with thoughts, concerns, worries, and feelings.  God is greater than our hearts, and knows all things.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.