Jeremiah 17:5–10 // The heart’s hidden loyalties // Raquel Schors
What is in a heart?
Look beyond the physical organ itself, rhythmically pumping lifeblood throughout the body.
Look instead at the biblical heart—the inner self. The headquarters of emotion, desire, motive, thought, and will within each person. The heart directs the whole of life.
And the heart we start off with has a fatal flaw.
Jeremiah tells us something revealing about the original condition of every human heart. He writes, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” In other words, every person is born with a heart defect of sorts. We are born with hearts that long for things that will ultimately harm us; hearts that justify and minimize sin; hearts determined to go their own way instead of God’s way; hearts that lead us—like the pied piper—to be loyal to all the wrong things. Our hearts are so sick that we are unable to stop them from turning to stone. It’s a terminal diagnosis.
And the root cause of the disease is a lack of trust in the only One worthy of trust. Consider the image the Lord gives Jeremiah in verses 5 and 6. A heart that trusts in anything other than God is in a sorry state indeed. It is like a dry, brittle shrub in the parched desert—barely alive and destined for death. When its roots reach for water, they find only salt. It is alone. It lacks nourishment. It produces no fruit. It is cursed.
But praise be to God, who can heal what we cannot! He offers an antidote to cure the incurable. By His grace, when we transfer our trust from everything else and place it fully on Jesus as the Leader and Forgiver of our lives, God performs surgery on us. He removes the sick, stony heart and replaces it with a healthy heart of flesh—beating and alive. Our new hearts love God and others, and they become a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. The image changes from a shriveled shrub to a leafy tree planted near a river, whose roots never lack the life-giving water needed to bear fruit, even when conditions become harsh.
This is good news. Actually, this is great news. What a spectacular and loving God we have!
But take note: God works His healing in our hearts across the span of a lifetime. Our new hearts are alive, yes—but there may still be areas in need of further healing. Jesus-followers do not need to fear that their hearts will revert entirely to stone, yet the old self, with its habits and sins, can quietly creep back in and take up residence. It happens easily and often unnoticed. That is why we need regular checkups and routine examinations with the Great Physician. This happens through the work of the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, prayer, reflection, confession, surrender, and accountability within community.
So let us return to our original question: What is in a heart?
What is in your heart?
Do you know? Have you stood still long enough to look? A mere glance will not do, because the heart is vast. It is wide, deep, and multi-layered. Things can hide easily within it. To know what is truly there, we must take time to dig. But it is difficult to discern the truth on our own, so do not dig in the dark. Let God—who sees all—shine His light so you can truly see. He is the One who searches the heart and tests the mind. He knows, so ask Him to show you.
Be willing to look where His bright spotlight falls—especially in the places where the weight of your trust rests on fragile things that cannot last and will eventually break under the strain. What are those things in your heart? Career? Money? Home? Family? Romance? Health? Appearance? Talent? Hobbies? Good works? Or perhaps something unnamed?
These things are not evil in themselves, but they cannot bear the weight of your trust. They will fail you. Allow Jesus to hold your hand as you shift your trust away from those things and place it securely in Him—the Rock who will not crumble under any weight, even the weight of the world. Stand there, and your life will flourish. Your roots will grow deep. You will endure drought and storm. Your branches will remain green and heavy with fruit—because a heart that trusts Jesus alone is truly a blessed heart.
Question to Consider
What things in your life, other than Jesus, do you tend to trust? (It may help to consider what you would struggle most to give up if Jesus asked.) Is the weight of your trust currently leaning on any of those things?
Prompt for Prayer
Quiet yourself before the Lord. Praise Him for His grace, and thank Him for the healing He has begun in your heart. Ask Him to reveal any hidden loyalties that remain. Pray for His help in shifting your trust away from those things and onto Jesus alone.
