I Hear Your Heartbeat

According to some research I did on the subject, in the last trimester of pregnancy a fetus's brain is developed enough to be able to recognize the heartbeat of the mother. However, though it is recognizable, the fetus has no way of knowing what the sound actually is. But being in the womb for a lengthened period of time, the fetus becomes accustomed to and familiar with the sound. In a sense, the sound of the mother's heartbeat and vague sounds of the outside world are all the child actually knows. It is no surprise that when these babies come into the world, they are soothed by the sound of their mother's heartbeat and often fall asleep while being cradled near her chest. The well known sound brings comfort in an unknown, new world. 

Here is where the connection to "Listening to Jesus Pray for Us" comes. Darrell says, "Whenever I rest my head on Jesus's heart in John 17, I find that I can breathe again." Scripture supports his statement. Psalm 139:16 says, "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." And when recounting the word of the Lord coming to him, Jeremiah heard the Lord saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

Before the intimacy of being in the womb of our mother and growing familiar to her heartbeat, we knew the heartbeat of our heavenly Father. The account in Genesis is clear in stating the fact that we are all created in the image of the Lord. He saw our unformed substance and knew us, when we had no way of knowing him, yet we are of him. But being emerged into this unfamiliar world helps us to remember. Innately we feel a sense of right and wrong, gravitate towards personal relationships and desire to feel accepted and loved. We stand in awe of the magnificence of creation and are fearful of things we do not know. But it is through the words of Scripture that we find the most comfort, listening to the One who has always known me. We are his and he is ours. He in us, and we in him. The difference is that as we grow older, we become more familiar with the heartbeat of Jesus and better able to distinguish the purpose behind it, desiring our own to align, synchronize with his. 

As we enter into new roles on this admin staff or very familiar ones with a new team and new experiences ahead, my prayer is that we would be able to remind ourselves and each other of the importance of taking time to rest by listening to the truth we know in his word. May we together seek the heartbeat of Jesus, to manifest and glorify the Father in Jesus's name.