Think It Over - Heart Refreshers
Well, Valentine’s Day has come and gone and everywhere I looked I would see beautiful hearts as the heart symbol has become so identified with love.
It was just the day after Valentine’s Day that I was praying through Philemon and a phrase leaped out at me as it was repeated twice. Paul, writing to Philemon, said, “For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother” (Verse 7).
Then, again in verse 20 he says, “Yes, brother, let me benefit from you and the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.”
When I read these two verses the phrase, “heart refreshers” came to me. There are a number of people in my life that when I see them, refresh my heart. Maybe I am discouraged, perhaps something has happened to me that is outside my control, or I am overwhelmed with what needs to be done, and then the Lord sends along someone like Philemon, who refreshes my heart.
As I thought of this, I also thought of the Psalmist’s words, “He will have no fear of bad news, his heart is steadfast, always trusting in the Lord.” That is a verse I pray whenever the phone rings in the middle of the night. Unless it is a wrong number the news is never good. So, as I answer the phone, I pray that whatever the news is that God will keep my heart steadfast, always trusting in Him. One of the ways my heart keeps steadfast is through Heart Refreshers.
Perhaps in your life you can look back at those the Lord sent to you just when you heart was tired and needed encouragement. Why don’t you take a moment now and thank Him for all those in your life who have refreshed your heart?
My prayer is that I might be more like Philemon, so people would say about me that when we are together that I wasn’t negative, or down, or critical but I refreshed their hearts. Lord may I be a heart refresher.