Written in our Hearts

Reflection

We’ve all memorized old jingles, slogans, and tunes. Maybe you remember a TV commercial of a man constantly messing up the line, Mama Mia, that’s some spicy meatball! Perhaps you can’t stop thinking of a song about a baby shark. Or try this one… save money, live better…what company comes to mind? It’s interesting how some mottos, jingles, and ads seem to be etched in the back of our minds.

While these things are etched in our minds, there are also words written in our hearts, as well as our minds; words more meaningful than that of any slogan or song from the past. Some of those words may have come from a loving family member who assured you that you could achieve your greatest dreams, or from a friend who said that you were the best. Those kinds of words are etched in our minds and hearts; they are close and precious words.

The Lord spoke through Jeremiah of a new covenant that he would make with the people of Israel and Judah, and this covenant would be different from the covenant he had made with their ancestors at Mount Sinai, where he gave his law on stone tablets. This time, the Lord declared that he would put the law in the minds of his people; he would write it in their hearts. This covenant would bring a new relationship with God—no longer one for a nation, where sin and guilt were covered, but a personal one that would offer complete forgiveness, where sins would no longer be remembered.

The Psalmist hid God’s word in his heart so that he would not sin; it was a lamp to his feet and a light to his path. And it is so much more; it is a source of strength, of hope, of life, of salvation, blessing, and more. No greater gift have our minds and hearts have been given!

God’s Word was written in the heart of Patrick when he spent six years of slavery in Ireland as a shepherd; he lived a lonely existence, and as he witnessed the pagan rituals of the druid priests there, he remembered the faith of his parents; he needed no reminder to turn to God and God’s words that were written in his heart. After his escape to his home in Britain, he became a cleric and returned to Ireland to spread Christianity. Patrick longed to see the gospel etched in the minds and hearts of those who had once enslaved him. He spent thirty years in Ireland, established over 300 congregations, and baptized 120,000 people.