The apostle Paul wanted us to have the heart of Christ. What is the heart of Christ? The Lord Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29). What then is a lowly heart? Here the psalmist describes a lowly heart and the inner peace as follows:

            LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty.  Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Ps 131:1-2)

In our spiritual search, we may be eager to explore great matters and profound teachings of the Bible. We may even attempt to delve into God’s purposes and find out the mysteries of God.  However, when we pry into things unrevealed, do we remind ourselves that our thoughts and findings may just be speculations? The apostle Paul said, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Cor 13:12).

Similarly in our journey of faith, sometimes we feel like we are walking in a maze, seeing no clear paths or having any direction. We wonder why God allows painful or sorrowful things to happen to His children. I was once comforted from some tearful prayers of my youth through these verses:

            And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction… Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. (Isa 30:20-21)

Although we may not be able to comprehend God’s guidance and purpose for our life right away, we only need to trust Him with a lowly heart, whichever way He leads us. This will bring about the inner peace that we deeply long for, like a weaned child with his mother.

Questions for Reflection

1.   Do we sometimes find ourselves concerned with matters beyond us? How can we remind ourselves to have a lowly heart?

2.   Why should we have a lowly heart when we are facing afflictions or feeling lost?