When everything around us shakes, the heart is the first thing we must guard.
אֶשָּׁעֵן עַל סֶלַע אֵיתָן
אֶשָּׁעֵן עַל סֶלַע אֵיתָן, מִשְׂגַּבִּי הוּא אֵל נֶאֱמָן.
“I will lean upon a firm rock; my stronghold is a faithful Elohim.”
There are seasons when everything around us seems to shake.
Sometimes it truly feels as though all is lost. Here in Israel, we know people who lost dozens of close friends and family members on October 7, 2023. Some personally knew nearly sixty people who were murdered.
There are also extraordinary heroes among us. I recently spoke with a dear Bedouin friend who spent almost a week without sleep, driving an ambulance, transporting blood and medical supplies, and doing everything he could to save Jewish lives.
What love.
But tremendous courage does not make a person immune to trauma.
Some men came home physically alive yet deeply wounded inside. You can sometimes see it in their eyes. They move through life almost like ghosts: present physically, but exhausted, numb, and struggling to reconnect with life.
They saved others. Now we must stand beside them as they find their way back.
And there is a spiritual question here for every one of us: what is happening to my heart under pressure?
We may continue working, serving, leading, speaking and smiling while something inside us is becoming bitter, anxious, angry or numb.
That is why Scripture tells us to guard the heart.
Guard Your Heart
מִכָּל־מִשְׁמָר נְצֹר לִבֶּךָ כִּי־מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹצְאוֹת חַיִּים
“Above all that you guard, guard your heart, for from it flow the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23 — משלי ד׳:כ״ג
Notice: תּוֹצְאוֹת חַיִּים, the outgoings of life. What happens in the heart eventually comes out.
Pressure can expose anger. Fear can produce control. Pain can become bitterness. Anxiety can make us rush ahead.
This is why James asks an uncomfortable question.
מֵאַיִן הַמִּלְחָמוֹת וְהַמְּרִיבוֹת בֵּינֵיכֶם? הֲלֹא מִן הַתַּאֲווֹת הַנִּלְחָמוֹת בְּתוֹכְכֶם?
“From where come wars and fightings among you? Do they not come from the desires that war within you?”
James 4:1 — יעקב ד׳:א׳
Sometimes we think the problem is entirely outside us. That person. That situation. That organization. That crisis.
But Scripture repeatedly turns our attention inward: what is governing my heart?
One Thing Is Needed
Martha was serving Yeshua. She was doing something good, yet anxiety had entered her service.
“מָרְתָא, מָרְתָא, אַתְּ דּוֹאֶגֶת וּמוּטְרֶדֶת עַל דְּבָרִים רַבִּים. אֲבָל דָּבָר אֶחָד נָחוּץ.”
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed.”
Luke 10:41–42 — לוקס י׳:מ״א–מ״ב
Mary had chosen to sit at the feet of Yeshua.
Before the ministry. Before solving the crisis. Before fixing everyone. Before saving the gathering. Before answering every demand.
One thing is needed. Sit at His feet. Hear His voice. Then serve from that place.
Yeshua says:
אַל יִבָּהֵל לְבַבְכֶם; הַאֲמִינוּ בֵּאלֹהִים וְהַאֲמִינוּ גַּם בִּי.
“Let not your heart be troubled; believe in Elohim, believe also in Me.”
John 14:1 — יוחנן י״ד:א׳
Yeshua said this just before His disciples entered an enormous storm. He was preparing their hearts before the circumstances changed.
Saul: When Pressure Governs the Heart
This brings us to Saul in 1 Samuel 13, שמואל א׳ י״ג.
Jonathan had struck the Philistine garrison. The Philistines gathered a massive force. The Israelites became terrified. People hid in caves, rocks, pits and thickets.
Saul watched his army begin to scatter. Samuel had told him to wait. But every minute made the situation look worse.
The people are leaving. The enemy is gathering. Samuel has not arrived. Something has to be done.
Finally Saul takes matters into his own hands and offers the sacrifice.
Then Samuel arrives.
מֶה עָשִׂיתָ?
“What have you done?”
1 Samuel 13:11 — שמואל א׳ י״ג:י״א
Saul explains that the people were scattering and that he felt compelled to act.
And here is the danger. People could have looked at Saul and said: “You handled that amazingly.” “You saved the situation.” “You kept the gathering from collapsing.” “You showed leadership.”
Human beings love results. We can overlook almost anything if the event still works and everybody gets home happy. But Elohim looks deeper.
Samuel did not ask, “Did you save the event?” He asked, “What have you done?”
נִסְכָּלְתָּ, לֹא שָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת־מִצְוַת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ… בִּקֵּשׁ יְהוָה לוֹ אִישׁ כִּלְבָבוֹ.
“You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of YHWH your Elohim… YHWH has sought for Himself a man after His own heart.”
1 Samuel 13:13–14 — שמואל א׳ י״ג:י״ג–י״ד
Saul allowed pressure around him to determine obedience within him.
The fear of losing people became greater than the fear of disobeying Elohim.
Do Not Rush Ahead
גַּם בְּלֹא־דַעַת נֶפֶשׁ לֹא־טוֹב וְאָץ בְּרַגְלַיִם חוֹטֵא
“Also, for the soul to be without knowledge is not good, and he who hastens with his feet misses the mark.”
Proverbs 19:2 — משלי י״ט:ב׳
וְאָץ בְּרַגְלַיִם, ve’atz beraglayim: rushing with the feet.
Not every urgent feeling is an instruction from Elohim.
Sometimes circumstances scream: do something now! But Elohim says: wait.
That is where Saul failed. And that is where David learned something very different.
David Learned to Wait
David was anointed long before he possessed the throne. He knew what Samuel had spoken over him.
Yet David refused to manufacture the fulfillment of the promise.
He had opportunities to kill Saul. He could have reasoned, “Elohim already chose me. This is my opportunity.”
But David refused.
חָלִילָה לִּי מֵיהוָה אִם־אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לַאדֹנִי לִמְשִׁיחַ יְהוָה.
“Far be it from me before YHWH that I should do this thing to my master, YHWH’s anointed.”
1 Samuel 24:6 — שמואל א׳ כ״ד:ו׳
David understood something Saul did not: if Elohim has promised it, I do not need to force it.
After Saul died, David still did not rush to seize everything. He inquired of YHWH.
הַאֶעֱלֶה בְּאַחַת עָרֵי יְהוּדָה?
“Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?”
2 Samuel 2:1 — שמואל ב׳ ב׳:א׳
YHWH answered: עֲלֵה, “Go up.”
David asked: אָנָה אֶעֱלֶה? “Where shall I go up?”
Elohim answered: חֶבְרוֹנָה, “To Hebron.”
David became king in Hebron, but only over Judah. And then he waited again.
בְּחֶבְרוֹן מָלַךְ עַל־יְהוּדָה שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וְשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים.
“In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months.”
2 Samuel 5:5 — שמואל ב׳ ה׳:ה׳
David already had the anointing. He already had the promise. He already had victories. He was already king.
But he was not yet king over all Israel.
Saul struggled to wait seven days. David waited years.
David had a Hebron season before his Jerusalem season. Anointed before appointed. Promised before possessing. King over Judah before king over Israel. Hebron before Jerusalem.
Sometimes Hebron is not a delay from the promise. Hebron is part of the promise.
Wait on YHWH
קַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָה חֲזַק וְיַאֲמֵץ לִבֶּךָ וְקַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָה
“Wait on YHWH; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait on YHWH.”
Psalm 27:14 — תהילים כ״ז:י״ד
Notice where the strengthening happens: לִבֶּךָ, your heart. Waiting is heart training.
דּוֹם לַיהוָה וְהִתְחוֹלֵל לוֹ
“Be still before YHWH and wait patiently for Him.”
Psalm 37:7 — תהילים ל״ז:ז׳
קַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָה וּשְׁמֹר דַּרְכּוֹ
“Wait on YHWH and keep His way.”
Psalm 37:34 — תהילים ל״ז:ל״ד
Wait and obey.
וְקוֹיֵ יְהוָה יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ
“Those who wait upon YHWH shall renew their strength.”
Isaiah 40:31 — ישעיהו מ׳:ל״א
Waiting is not wasted time. Elohim can build something in us while nothing seems to be happening around us.
Pour Out Your Heart
Waiting does not mean pretending everything is fine. David poured out his heart.
בִּטְחוּ בוֹ בְכָל־עֵת עָם שִׁפְכוּ לְפָנָיו לְבַבְכֶם אֱלֹהִים מַחֲסֶה־לָנוּ סֶלָה
“Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; Elohim is a refuge for us. Selah.”
Psalm 62:8 — תהילים ס״ב:ט׳
Fear. Grief. Anger. Confusion. Exhaustion. Disappointment.
Speak to Elohim about it. Do not let it sit inside until it poisons the heart.
Asaph describes what happened when pain became bitterness.
כִּי יִתְחַמֵּץ לְבָבִי… וַאֲנִי תָמִיד עִמָּךְ אָחַזְתָּ בְּיַד־יְמִינִי.
“When my heart was embittered… yet I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.”
Psalm 73:21–23 — תהילים ע״ג:כ״א–כ״ג
Pain had affected his perception. But Elohim had not let go of him.
Pray Instead of Being Governed by Pressure
אַל תִּדְאֲגוּ לְשׁוּם דָּבָר, אֶלָּא בְּכָל דָּבָר הַצִּיגוּ אֶת בַּקָּשׁוֹתֵיכֶם לֵאלֹהִים בִּתְפִלָּה וּבְתַחֲנוּנִים עִם הוֹדָיָה.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Elohim.”
Philippians 4:6–7 — פיליפים ד׳:ו׳–ז׳
וּשְׁלוֹם אֱלֹהִים הַנִּשְׂגָּב מִכָּל שֵׂכֶל יִשְׁמֹר אֶת־לְבַבְכֶם וְאֶת־מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם בַּמָּשִׁיחַ יֵשׁוּעַ.
“And the peace of Elohim, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Messiah Yeshua.”
There is our theme again: the heart must be guarded.
Prepare the Heart Now
Scripture tells us that difficult times will come. But preparation is not panic. Preparation is learning faithfulness now.
כִּי אֶת־רַגְלִים רַצְתָּה וַיַּלְאוּךָ וְאֵיךְ תְּתַחֲרֶה אֶת־הַסּוּסִים?
“If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?”
Jeremiah 12:5 — ירמיהו י״ב:ה׳
If today’s pressure governs my heart, what happens when greater pressure comes?
Yeshua warned us:
הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם פֶּן יִכְבְּדוּ לְבַבְכֶם…
“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down.”
Luke 21:34 — לוקס כ״א:ל״ד
“Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 24:12–13 — מתי כ״ד:י״ב–י״ג
The danger is not only what happens around us. The danger is what we allow it to do inside us.
Will my love grow cold? Will fear govern me? Will bitterness define me? Will pressure make me rush?
Or will I know how to sit at the feet of Yeshua, pour out my heart, hear His voice, and wait?
Today is the day to prepare.
Pray now. Forgive now. Deal with bitterness now. Learn Scripture now. Learn to wait now. Learn to hear Elohim now. Guard the heart now.
Then when the storm comes, we will know where to stand.
Not on circumstances. Not on popularity. Not on human approval. Not on our own strength.
But on the Rock.
אֶשָּׁעֵן עַל סֶלַע אֵיתָן, מִשְׂגַּבִּי הוּא אֵל נֶאֱמָן.
I will lean upon a firm Rock. My stronghold is a faithful Elohim.
Whatever shakes around me, I will guard my heart.
Whatever pressure comes, I will not allow fear to determine my obedience.
I will pour out my heart before Elohim. I will wait for YHWH.
And I will sit at the feet of Yeshua.
Continue in this series with Be Filled With the Spirit and When Elohim Corrects Us, or browse everything on our Resources page. You can read Proverbs 4 in full at Sefaria.
