The Heart of the Matter

“The heart wants, what the heart wants - or else it does not care.” ~ Emily Dickinson

This famous quote by Emily Dickinson has been used in more than a dozen movies and quoted in many circles as a means of expressing the unwavering, steadfast desires of the heart. In fact, this quote is very true. The heart does want, what the heart wants. All of us have been in circumstances or situations when our hearts were set on a person or a thing. In that moment, all that mattered was what the heart wanted “or else, it did not care.”

Turn to Jeremiah 17: 9-10

However much this resonates with us: the heart wants, what the heart wants, when held up to the truth of scripture we find that: “The heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) Ultimately, the heart is an unreliable, fickle, wicked thing that has its character rooted in deceit. To put it plainly - the heart is filled with sin.

The heart of the problem: If this is the case, then all sin is a heart problem. From our viewpoint in the 21st century it would seem that idolatry has its roots in pagan religions. But idolatry really has its roots in the human heart of every person that has ever lived. It has been said that “the heart is an ‘idol factory’” and scripture agrees on every front. Idolatry is a heart problem.

Let’s unravel this a little farther. So, we have established the wickedness and deceit of the heart. We have established that the heart is full of sin. We have established that idolatry is a heart problem. At this point, things don’t look good for our hearts!

Then to seal the deal, if you weren’t convinced already, because of the wickedness of our hearts, we do not have an accurate gauge for directing our own paths. In fact, Proverbs 3:5-6, which should be very familiar, states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your paths.” To put it plainly, our hearts are miserable compasses in determining God’s will and directing our paths. Scripture even states that our own understanding isn’t reliable.

Idolatry isn’t something new. It is written all over history and all over the pages of scripture! From the very beginning, no less than 3 chapters into the Bible, the heart begins to “want what it wants.” Eve put her heart’s desire above God and she sinned. Then in Genesis 6 this verse encapsulates the pervasiveness of sin: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” From there, the Lord determined to destroy all the inhabitants of the earth, save 8, through the Great Flood - SIX chapters in and only THREE chapters after the Fall.

From the very first sin, woven through the books of the Old and New Testament, idolatry is there. All sin is ultimately rooted in idolatry deep down in the soil of our darkened hearts.
This leaves us in very bad shape! But thankfully, we have a God who is very concerned with our hearts. He died for our hearts and it is that immaterial part of us that will live on. Yes, we can discipline our bodies to live moral lives but if our hearts are never filled with light, if we are never given hearts of flesh, if idols are never pulled up by their roots in our hearts then we are hopelessly lost!

But in the midst of all this dismal talk, in the very next verse, Jeremiah 17:10, after the question is asked, “who can know the heart?” The Lord answers, “I, the Lord, search the heart!” This week, God is personally searching our hearts. He is searching to uproot idols, to tear them down, burn them and replace them with true worship!

Toby Mac released a great song a few albums ago called, “Made To Love”. The beginning of the chorus goes like this:
I was made to love you
I was made to find you
I was made just for you
Made to adore you
I was made to love
And be loved by you

The lyrics paint a simple picture of a greater reality; we were made for worship. It doesn’t take long to see that as people we will worship anything! An easier way to identify what we worship is to look at what we cherish or celebrate: sports, fashion, health, fitness, wealth, success, fame, love, relationships, acceptance, power, education, politics, religion, family or feelings: happiness, comfort, an experience, euphoria or nostalgia.

Let me give you an example: Christmas. It used to be that we got through Halloween and Thanksgiving and around December 1st we began to see Christmas trees and decorations show up in Department Stores. We got the Best Products catalogue or Sears or JC Penneys. And then you started to get excited for Christmas about the first or second week in December. Now when do we see Christmas decorations?

We have skipped right over Thanksgiving and gone straight to “gimme”! On top of that, look at what a major event every holiday has become! Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Cinco de Mayo (and last I checked, we aren’t Mexican!), Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day and then straight to Halloween. Have you ever seen anything so out of control as Halloween? Even adults are having full on Halloween parties complete with costumes, games and candy! Why? Because we will celebrate anything! We will worship anything!

Just look at the wedding industry: I can’t believe the level that the wedding industry has risen to in just 15 years! And now, engagement parties, wedding showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, bridal luncheons and let’s not even get into the baby showers!!

Yes, we were made for worship, that is evident but our worship is broken, misdirected and tainted. We will spend the rest of this week identifying idols that are prevalent in the lives of women, most specifically. After identifying and defining each idol, we will study women in scripture who got it wrong..and women who got it right. We have a long but good road ahead. Hang on for the ride!