Heart Health

Since having a quadruple heart by-pass I have been thinking often about my heart, wondering if there is any connection between that bodily organ and what the Bible calls the "heart." Of course, I know there is. It's just that I haven't pursued the connection in any great detail. So, for a few minutes, I'll share with you what I am learning.  

God's command is to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is a command. It is the law, so its purpose is to reveal our sin and rebellion, to show us what we do not do and what we should be doing. The LORD's blessings are upon those who keep His commands. This surely has much to do with heart-organ health. 

Of course, I know from Holy Scripture that "every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). It is only when the Spirit of the living Christ enters our hearts that we even begin to love the LORD with our hearts. Before that our hearts quite naturally turn away from the will of God. 

The implications of all this are vast. I'll not attempt to spell them all out, but concentrate upon this one phrase, "with all your heart." 

The Hebrew word for heart is leb or lebab,  a word with many meanings. In its concrete meaning the word refers to the organ itself, together with the breast where the heart is located. In the Biblical story of Absalom rebelling against his father, King David, we read that Joab killed the young man by plunging a spear into his heart (2 Sam. 18:14). That's the organ physicians have learned to work with during the past 30 years. It is what my surgeon worked on when he sewed four arteries on to it, bypassing the blocked areas.  It's what we hear so much about when we're advised to eat heart-healthy food, etc. 

However, the Holy Spirit reveals to us that there is much more to us than our physical being. The term lebab is the richest biblical term for our inner nature. Some want to call it our immaterial nature, but I'm not happy with that definition, because everything about us is inter-related. What recently happened to my organ--together with the progressive therapy--is related to my inner life as well as to my physical being. As I go through physical therapy (treadmill, stretching, etc.) I am constantly reminded of the brevity of life and the importance of spending my days in a God-pleasing manner. Such thoughts refer to my inner nature. 

This brings me back to the abstract meaning of the term "heart". It is really an all-inclusive term, referring to the internal functions of ones personality: feeling, thinking and willing. Here's examples of each. 

When Hannah was blessed with the birth of her son Samuel, she literally gave him back to the LORD and said, "My heart rejoices in the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:1).  We also read that Jacob's heart stood still when he learned that his son Joseph was alive (Genesis 45:26). He simply could not believe it. There are many examples of such emotions and feelings, both positive and negative. For instance, in Proverbs 19:3 we read that "the foolishness of a man twists his way, And his heart frets against the LORD." 

Fear and anxiety occur in the heart. In Psalm 40:12 we read,  

"For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
         My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; 
         They are more than the hairs of my head; 
         Therefore my heart fails me."

Modern medical science is aware of the connection between emotions and heart (organ) health. When I began physical therapy the therapists handed me a sheet of paper upon which I was to evaluate the stressors in my life on a scale of 1-10. When I refused, they scolded me, pointing out that everyone has stress and that such stress does indeed have an effect upon the health of ones heart. Because of stress my heart-organ can literally fail. I could get a "heart attack" and die! And many have. 

Thinking is also attributed to the heart. To set ones heart upon something may mean that we evaluate and consider this action important. In spite of the plagues during the time before Israel's exodus from Egypt, we see Pharaoh hardening his heart and refusing to allow them to leave. His heart was not moved (Exodus 7:22-23). The hardening of the heart is also a function of the will. Pharaoh could not and would not make a God-pleasing decision. He would not carry out his moral responsibilities. 

Wisdom, that practical application of knowledge to life, is a matter of the heart. "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,  And adds learning to his lips," says the Proverb (16:23).

Bottom line: I'm working on physical rehab for my heart. A whole program is outlined and my insurance will cover the cost. However, if I plan to become heart-healthy (as I do), then I had best pay attention to my inner life as well, the functions of my heart, my feelings, thoughts, desires, plans and dreams. Are they in tune with my LORD and Savior, Jesus? Have I admitted my failings and embraced His forgiveness--daily? When I do that I am certain that the peace of God in Christ Jesus will guard and protect my heart until I am called to my Father's house (Philippians 4:7).