God Knows

“You will know them by their fruit. Do people get bunches of grapes from thorny weeds, or do they get figs from thistles?” Matt. 7:16 (CEB)

Popeye had a mantra: “I yam what I yam” he would often say. Perhaps as Christians we too should have a similar mantra. I heard someone recently make the statement, “you are what you do” and that can have a positive or negative connotation.

There are people that think or believe one way and act another. They may fool some of the people some of the time, but they will never fool God, not even sometimes! God knows what is in the heart and Proverbs 21:2 gives us this truth. “Everyone’s path is straight in their own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.” Uh oh! Others may see what we do and think fine things about us, but God see right through to our heart.

Scripture teaches us that God looks at things a little differently than we do. People tend to look at the surface: how a person looks, acts, or dresses. We look at a person’s qualifications, accomplishments, or possessions and think we know their character. God sees a little deeper, well…a lot deeper than men do. He sees our secret desires, dreams, thoughts, and intentions. He sees the things we don’t want our friends to know and the things we refuse to admit to ourselves.

I found this information from hebrews12endurance.com very interesting: The kidneys are our innermost organs and are located below the ribs on either side of the spine. This organ is surrounded by fat and is very hard to get to. In fact, when the priests were dissecting the animals that were brought as offerings, the kidneys were the last organs uncovered.

Isn’t that just like our innermost thoughts and desires? They are hidden, sometimes dark, and often covered up with “stuff”. They can be pretty hard to visualize or understand.

We don’t need to be scared of what is in our heart and that God knows our innermost thoughts. Just as David penned in Psalm 51:10, we too, can ask for a healed heart and a renewed spirit.

Maybe this closing prayer will be helpful to ask for reconciliation and renewal.

Father, You know our hearts. You know those secret things we keep hidden from everyone and even those things we don’t want to admit to ourselves. Remove anything that is unlike You.

Restore Your image in us and give us the desires of Your heart. Create in us clean hearts and renew right spirits within us.

We pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.