Day One Hundred and Forty Four - Setting My Heart

"When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem." Luke 9:51

I have never once paid attention to this verse before. It was a glance over verse. A stylistic set up for the next portion of the story to be told. That is... until recently. I remember hearing a sermon about it a few months ago, who knows, maybe it was over a year ago, about how Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem and what that really meant. It was not a glance over verse, or a stylistic set up. It is a verse that must be "unpacked", and frankly applied to our own lives. What we 'set our face' to, or 'set our heart' to, has massive implications for the entirety of our lives. It affects every part.

There are multiple questions that accompany such a statement. What is my heart set to right now? Where will that take me? Who decided that? Did I let God set my heart or did I set it without Him? Do I trust God enough to let Him be the one to set my heart? Will I fully submit to where He wants me to go? Do I trust that whatever He decides will be infinitely better than any decision I would make?

However, we cannot come to any sort of conclusion without looking at a very interrelated verse, Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." This has two possible meanings, but the one I want to focus on is God giving our heart desires. When I delight myself in the Lord, what my heart desires changes. It changes from fleeting pleasures, to eternal ones. Jesus is an eternal delight. Worship, knowledge of God, being made more like Him, sharing Him with others, serving Him, are eternal delights. Peace, Love, Abundance, Security, Life, are all byproducts of those things. They are all eternal delights. When He gives my heart desires and I chase them, I find the things I yearn for but cannot do or have without Him. Lasting, honest, cherished relationships. Love. Security in a very uncertain world. Life for an often timid girl. And abundance of all the things I need.

And so now, He has given me a new desire. But this one is different from the others. This one is my calling. This one is a place to set my face, to set my heart. This one is a journey, full of things to do between here and there, which frankly will take decades. But my heart has been set. And... I wish I knew how to describe it to you, to anyone, but the peace in my heart is overwhelming. My heart is glad, it is set firmly by the Hand that I love and that I know loves me more than I could possibly comprehend. I have no doubts, there is no waver. My face is set.

And it will affect my decisions. Where I spend my time, my money, which friendships I pursue, where I live. Where your heart is set always affects time, money, friendships, life style. But there is peace, and a fulfillment deeper than words in this. There is a joy in pursuing this desire, one that I do not yet fully understand, nor do I expect to. There is a hope in it that shines brighter than any I have known before. There is a security in knowing that He is with me, and I will never be alone. I know where my heart is set, and my heart is glad. It is at peace, and it is fulfilled. Where is your heart set?

That question isn't answered in a day, and often changes throughout life. First it can be set on a spouse or a family, or the dream job, then it may switch to grandchildren and retirement. But those things will come and they will go. People will fail you, even though you need them and love them, even though they need you and love you. Things are fleeting and easily destroyed. Life is short. Where is your heart set?

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."