Setting a Condemning Heart to Rest

“Dear children, let us not lovewith words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we knowthat we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presencewhenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and heknows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we haveconfidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey hiscommands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:18-22).

There are two expressions in these few sentences, oneseemingly disturbing, and the other reassuring. They are “whenever our heartscondemn us” and “if our hearts do not condemn us.”

The second expression is the reassuring one. It is connectedwith confidence, answered prayer, and obedience. It is wonderful to be in astate where our hearts do not condemn us. However, with some of God’s people,the disturbing expression seems to be true more of the time. They have heartsthat condemn them.

There is something else, however, that takes the disturbingand makes it reassuring, and that is the main purpose of the passage:

“Dear children, let us not lovewith words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we knowthat we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in hispresence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than ourhearts, and he knows everything.”

How do we take a condemning heart and set it at rest in God’spresence? God is greater than our hearts. The heart is not a legitimatecondemner or non-condemner. It’s not always correct. God is in the business ofsetting our hearts at rest in His presence.

 

Written May 1983.

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How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships