GOD TESTS HEARTS (1)

“Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous GOD TESTS the HEARTS and minds” – Psalm 7:9

The Psalms affirm that GOD TESTS HEARTS and Minds: “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous GOD TESTS HEARTS and MINDS” (Psa.7:9). This scripture differentiates HEARTS from MINDS. Man is a tripartite entity: a SPIRIT who possesses a SOUL and lives in a BODY. Paul prayed for Believers: “May your whole SPIRIT, SOUL, and BODY be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1The.5:23b). The human SPIRIT has three faculties: Communion (which contacts God); Intuition (a direct sense or feeling in the spirit, regardless of reason); and Conscience (voice of the human spirit soul-ward). The Soul also has three faculties: the Intellect (Reasoning); Emotions (Feelings); and Will or Volition.

Biblically, the HEART of man refers essentially to the human spirit: the “hidden man of the heart” (1Pet.3:4); “the inward man” (2Cor.4:16); the innermost essence of the human being. For the redeemed, the heart comprises the regenerated human spirit intricately connected to the soul that’s being renewed (Rom.12:2). For the unredeemed, the heart is simply the soul, since the spirit in this case is dead or asleep (Eph.2:1). The “MIND” is often used interchangeably with the “SOUL,” but in a narrower sense, it describes the reasoning part of the soul. The Mind is therefore different from the Heart; but God tests both hearts and minds.

In the light of these explanations, the heart is the “command core” of our lives – the invisible but powerful centre of our thoughts, reasoning, affections, emotions, volition, and decisions. It speaks of the workings of the spirit and soul (in the redeemed); and of the soul (in the unredeemed). Only God can X–ray this most secret part and innermost core of our being! No one else can. This truth would be better appreciated as we examine and compare three sets of scriptures that relate to God’s testing of hearts and minds.

The first set of scriptures comprises affirmations by the Almighty God Himself and His servants that He tests hearts and minds:

• “I, the Lord, SEARCH the HEART, I TEST the MIND, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer.17:10).

• “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord LOOKS at the HEART” (1Sam.16:7b)

• “But, O Lord of hosts, You who judge righteously, TESTING the MIND and the HEART, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have revealed my cause” (Jer.11:20).

• “Now He who SEARCHES the HEARTS knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom.8:27).

The second set of scriptures consists of prayers that request for God’s Gaze upon hearts and minds:

• “EXAMINE me, O Lord, and PROVE me; TRY my MIND and my HEART” (Psa.26:2).

• “SEARCH me, O God, and KNOW MY HEART; TRY me, and know my anxieties” (Psa.139:23).

• “And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who KNOW the HEARTS of ALL, show which of these two You have chosen” (Acts 1:24).

The third set of scriptures confirms the reality of tested hearts and minds:

• “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress” (Psa.17:3).

• “O Lord, YOU HAVE SEARCHED me and known me” (Psa.139:1).

God looks, searches, tries, tests, weighs, proves, and knows the motives of the human spirit – the Heart, as well as of the mind. On his part, David could say, “My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart” (v.10). What would be my testimony and yours when God tries our hearts? May our hearts and minds – our thoughts, reasoning, affections, emotions, will, volition, and decisions – be found pleasing in the sight of the Lord, in Jesus name! Amen! We shall delve deeper into these truths in the next few meditations.