Last year I had a heart valve replacement. The old one had become calcified and was affecting me physically. After the surgery and as I began to recover, I noticed something unusual that I never noticed before. In a quiet room I could hear my heart beating. I never noticed it before but due to the increased blood flow and effectiveness of the valve, I actually could hear the difference.
Have you ever wondered what Christ’s heart beats for? If you could place your two hands over the risen Lord’s chest, what would you feel? Perhaps our hands could act as a stethoscope determining the strength and vibrancy of the deep affections of our Savior. As we examine the Word, I believe one thing we would feel is that our Lord’s heart beats strongly for us. His affections, His longings, His tenderness is directed toward those who have placed their faith in Him. We read about His sympathies toward us in Heb. 4:15,16: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. Jesus sympathizes with us when we are suffering because He suffered. He understands when we are rejected, when we are misunderstood, laughed at, and despised because He too went through all of that, yet without sin. When the fallenness of the world closes in on us and we want to throw in the towel, we have a Friend who knows what it is like. He sits close to us, embraces us and sympathizes with us.
Because His heart beats for us we should come boldly to Him frequently. We should unashamedly approach Him eagerly and let Him know all of our pain, heartache, and struggles. Because He promised to give us grace and mercy in our time of need. Always remember the heart of Christ beats for you.