God is the Strength of My Heart

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.”

Psalm 73:26

The first thing I thought of when I read the words “but God is the strength of my heart” is a wall. The wall that we women often build around our hearts in order to protect them from hurt, heart break and damage. These walls are made up of disappointments, sadness, bitterness, despair. This is like building a wall out of chipped bricks, rotting logs and poorly made mortar. Such a wall can not last, it will not stand. The enemy will tear through the wall with ease, allowing our heart to be subject to damage all over again. But this new damage is all the more severe. Not only are we filled with disappointments in others but also disappointment in ourselves. “How could I let that get to me? I worked so hard to protect my heart! What am I, some sort of sap? I can’t let anyone else discover how weak I am.” And so we begin building again.

“But God is the strength of my heart.” God is the only one who can truly protect our hearts. He never disappoints, and is never disappointed in us. He doesn’t care how weak we are; in fact He usually uses our times of weakness to reveal His glory. He never judges us for being sappy, He created us as women, I believe He meant for us to be a little “sappy”, and He certainly meant for us to long for love. He hates to see our hearts ache. If it weren’t for free will He would unfailingly protect our hearts from every hurt. But as it is, we must choose to let Him protect us. We must open up our hearts and say, “God, I have been so hurt. I know that you are the only one who can protect my heart. I’m asking you now to come into my heart and keep it safe.”

The great thing about God’s protection of our hearts is that it is less like a wall and more like a protective force field. The advantage to this is that, unlike the wall, it keeps out the bad but lets in the good. It allows us to be loved and to love.

No Simple Thing

Imagine a medieval fair. Tents for merchants, magicians, and food vendors are set up on a field. In the center of it all are different tournaments. Archery and sword fighting are included in the order of the day, but jousting is the highlight. The people gather ‘round, the peasants and the nobles, children and old men, to behold the event. The king and his favorite nobles, and perhaps a jester or two make their way onto the shaded platform reserved for them. And there seated among them is the queen, a princess or some other noble woman. Her presence there is of the utmost importance, for it is for her favor, smile or maybe even kiss, that the brave men will fight.

Now I’m sure many women and maybe even some men would object to that last part. “How dare the men treat the lady as an object? Those pigs! Don’t they realize she’s worth more than that, more than just a prize?” They most certainly do. In fact, those medieval knights were far more aware of the lady’s worth than we are today.

The lady is seated with those who are considered most important. She is given a seat of honor. The knights are willing to fight in order that one of them might be the privileged one on whom the lady bestows special honor. How many men today are willing to fight so that a lady may look on them favorably in a dignified manner? How many men would be satisfied with a simple look or smile or kiss from a fair maiden? Would they sweat and possibly bleed for something so simple?

Why is it that these knights were so willing to suffer for such a simple pleasure? It was because they understood a woman’s worth. They saw women as were meant to be seen, the crown of creation, something to be beheld with awe and respect. So really a kind look, smile or kiss was no simple thing.