19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,[a] and God[b] in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 3:19-24, ESV
As I read through the Disciplers Bible Studies regarding this text (above) from the Apostle John, I was asked two questions.
First, who knows your heart better than you do?
In verse 20, John says that God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything. That’s a simple enough answer to find.
But then, the follow-up question was, why would this be a comfort?
In all fairness, this question was labeled a “thought question,” and indeed, it was. I had to stop for a bit. This could be a tricky question depending on the state of one’s heart. So many cute little sayings involve and elevate our hearts to an almost God-like status.
“Follow your heart.”
“Let your heart be your guide.”
“This makes my heart happy.”
John’s words come hard against these phrases we throw around today as “good advice.” GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS! When it comes to condemnation, our hearts can play tricks on us. I am comforted by God knowing my heart better than I do because my heart can deceive me. My identity comes from God alone and not my heart. My heart could lead me to believe that I am way better than I actually am, and it also is capable of leading me to think that I am way worse. That is precisely why I cannot rely on my heart to guide me through life. I will depend on the one who knows everything and still calls me His child.