Hearts Directed (2 Thessalonians 3:5)

 


Thursday, 11 December, 2025


Psalms 95; 96

Isaiah 45:9-25

2 Thessalonians 3


Hearts Directed (2 Thessalonians 3:5)


May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.


Our hearts can be zoomy little things. They can flick this way and that, suddenly obsessed here, then obsessed there; falling down into despair, and rising up again into cheerful laughter. If we look back to how our hearts were this time last year, we might see something different. And if we look back to the state of our hearts this time five, ten, or more years ago, it may even be almost completely unrecognisable.


St Paul’s prayer to the church in Thessalonica is that their hearts might be directed by the Lord. Like a stockman in a pen with a brumby, may the Lord stalk down our hearts, latch on, tame them, and direct them. At first the animal is terrified and enraged, completely confused at what is going on, and not a little aggressive. But when it is tamed, it breathes easy, is well-fed, and led into a life of gentle care, fulfilling work, and becomes a creature of high value.


May the Lord direct our hearts – and may he direct them to his love, and the steadfastness of Christ. Brought in from the wild, we may remember the transient nature of the life that was. We might be tempted to think “now is good – but what if things change in the future”? But Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We have been directed to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. And there is nothing in heaven, on earth, or under the earth that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, once our hearts have been directed by him.


What is the state of your heart at the moment? Are you a wild brumby throwing off every shackle? Or are you being directed by the Lord to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ?


Lord of peace, you have made peace by the blood of Christ on the cross and reconciled us to you: direct our hearts from wild thoughts and living, that we may be led into the peace of your steadfast love.

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