An Untroubled Heart

Right now your heart may be troubled and burdened with worries. My prayer is for God to bring relief and peace to your heart in this moment and as we walk through these five days together.

The well-being of your heart matters to Jesus. When the Bible talks about “the heart,” it is referring to the very core of who we are. An article I read explains this further: “The Bible mentions the heart almost 1,000 times. In essence, this is what it says: the heart is that spiritual part of us where our emotions and desires dwell.” *

Twice in John 14, Jesus said to “not let your hearts be troubled” (vv. 1, 27 NIV). These words He spoke to His disciples are encouragement for us today as Christians on a journey through an anxiety-ridden world of brokenness, hardships, and worries. His words reassure us that it is possible to have untroubled hearts in this life, in these circumstances, in the middle of trials and uncertain outcomes.

Jesus promised His peace, a peace radically different from the peace the world gives. The peace of this world is fleeting, unreliable, and deceptive, and it ultimately leaves us empty. The peace of Jesus is lasting, dependable, true, and satisfying. We can trust the words of Jesus. We can stop and breathe. We can be overwhelmed not with worry but with divine peace. We can exchange a troubled heart for an untroubled heart.

Prayer

Lord, I pray for an untroubled heart: a heart that is not easily disturbed or worried, one that resides in Your peace and makes its home under Your wings. Only You, and You alone, can speak to my heart, making me feel safe and calm. I have succumbed to the cycle of anxiety, but in this moment I ask You to break this cycle and any learned habits or tendencies of anxiety.

I surrender to the truth that Your peace is attainable in this world. Not because of perfect circumstances or a life without stress or hardships but because You give us Your peace. Because You— the One who created my heart, my very being—bring me the deepest peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Would You show me if there are things of this world I trust for peace more than You? Help me to no longer trust in this false peace but in You, my true peace. As I begin this journey over the next five days, I ask that You would transform me by the power of Your Spirit to be someone who carries Your peace daily throughout all circumstances.

I pray to continually seek You as my peace, to trust in Your care, and to remember that despite the troubles of this world and this life, I can have an untroubled heart in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

* "What is the heart?" Got Questions, https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-heart.html