23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23, NIV)
How can we guard our hearts from the distractions in the world? Last Sunday, my pastor encouraged the congregation with these words.
Open yourself completely to God and His will for your life.
Spend time in His Word to know God and His will for your life.
Spend time in prayer, worship, and your private thoughts. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
Purposely live every moment through the lens you know about God, your relationship with Him and you will know what He wants you to do.
Spend time with other believers. In a community you will grow in your faith and have the opportunity to pass on your faith to others.
When Biblical writers spoke of “the heart,” they were referring to the totality of a person – their thoughts, emotions, and the entire realm of someone’s personality. When it says, “guard your heart,” it is a figurative illustration, meant to convey the importance of being attentive to your thought life and remaining open to God’s work within you. However, when God created you, He designed your body to literally “guard your heart,” too. In His wisdom, He placed it in a protected space within your body. The heart is positioned slightly on the left side of the chest between the right and left lungs. The left lung is slightly smaller to make room for the heart in the left chest.
In the above photo, the ribs have been cut away for better viewing of the heart’s position. Three important structures of your body’s skeletal system protect your heart: the vertebral column, the sternum, and the first seven pairs of ribs. These ribs are classified as true ribs because they articulate with the vertebral column and the sternum.
The heart is surrounded by the pericardium, a three layered sac-like structure that shields the heart from external trauma and infection. The fibrous pericardium is the tough, outermost layer. Attached to the diaphragm and breastbone, the fibrous pericardium stabilizes the heart by preventing excessive movement and overstretching. The epicardium is the innermost layer of the pericardium. It lies adjacent to the myocardium, the middle muscular layer of the heart. The pericardial cavity lies between the epicardium and the serous pericardium. It is filled with lubricating serous fluid that reduces friction during heart contractions.
As I reflect on the intricacies of the heart, I realize once again how God fashioned everything to work perfectly together, down to the most seemingly insignificant detail – down to a liquid specially formulated to make a beating heart function smoothly. Our hearts are designed to beat in all conditions: in moments of peace and calm, and moments of danger and anxiety. Just as God has protected our hearts with bones and tissue, He urges us to remember that, in every kind of experience, He is working out His purposes for us and longs for us to trust in His care. He is in charge of both your heart and mind and when we ask Him for help, He will help us guard both.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.(Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)
Winter, Dwight. Be On Your Guard, Wilmore Free Methodist Church, Wilmore, KY. Feb. 2, 2025.
ID 143928205 | Anatomy © Leonello Calvetti | Dreamstime.com
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 