“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:20-27, NASB)

The Heart of the Problem Is the Problem of the Heart. This is how I would title today’s devotional and describe what this passage is trying to say. It says,

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put devious lips far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead, and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil.”

To me, the key words in this passage are: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Why must we watch over our hearts? The heart acts as the source of our dreams, happiness, joy, and our understanding of purpose and meaning. Yet, Solomon advises us to be cautious about it rather than simply viewing it positively. We are to “watch over” it. We are to guard against what comes out of our mouths and lips. We are to watch what we see with our eyes. We are to watch where our feet will walk. All of these actions are controlled by what we choose to do from our hearts.

If our hearts were good, healthy, and sound, there wouldn’t be any warnings against them. The warning is there because our hearts are deceitful and prone to evil. Jeremiah 17:9 says it best, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Even though Jesus came to find the lost and save sinners, he did not trust the human heart. John 2:24-25 says, “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man.” Why didn’t Jesus entrust himself to men? What did he know about them, and what did he know that was in them? The answer is sin, and it is in each of us. He also said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man” (Mt.15:19-20). The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.

Apostle Paul, considered the best of Christians, understood this and struggled with it. Listen to his words and try to see the agony he felt. He confessed, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it” (Rom.7:15-20, NLT). What is the cure for this sickness? Paul answers himself by saying, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom.7:24-25, NLT).

Having the gift of wisdom, Solomon understood this well and taught his people to guard their hearts, for it is deceitful, fickle, and prone to evil. We are to guard, protect, or watch over it so that the sin nature in us will not cause us to sin with our mouths, eyes, and feet. Do you remember this children’s song from Sunday School? It goes, “O be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down below, so be careful little eyes what you see.” The lyric goes on to add ears, tongues, hands, and feet. It is so simple a song, but instead of dismissing it as a children’s song, we must submit to the maturity of the lyrics. It’s because the song addresses the main problem. The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.

• Why do the words, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life,” sound like a warning against the heart rather than praising it?
• Do you agree that your heart is “deceitful” and “desperately sick,” and what is the cure for it?