The God Who Moves Hearts, Part 1

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1

Having children is probably one of the most humbling experiences of life. I think that everyone, before having children, lives under a false illusion of control. Before we have kids, I think we all operate with the idea that we're able to contol people and our circumstances. We might learn a little of reality through our work lives, but, overall, I think we still don't really have much of a clue.

After you have kids, however, you quickly learn you can't really control the way people act. This is especially true when they grow into the pre-adolescent and teen years. Nothing can be more frustrating then trying to get your 10-year-old daughter ready for church on a Sunday morning or trying to get her to clean her room.

I think God partly allows these circumstances, so we would turn to him and recognize His ability to do what we can't. I say this half-way jokingly, but it's very real. It's for this reason that we turn to Prov 21.1. My hope is that you'll find peace in those times of frustration by trusting that God is able to change the unchangeable heart.

It may be that you face the common situations, as described above, or it may be that your child has begun to display more destructive mode. Their behavior, regardless of their age, hurts you because you can' stand to see them destroy themselves.

Sometimes we hurt for our child who is trapped by a mental or physical problem. He or she may be suffering from some physiological condition that keeps them from thinking straight. No matter how severe a problem they face, you can find peace in trusting that God can remove the mental and physical causes behind that destructive behavior. God proved through King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel in the Bible that He can take away soundness of mind, and He can restore it. Jesus, likewise, proved that He could remove the most destructive physical and spiritual illnesses by healing the demoniac. God is able to remove the strongest of physical and mental disabilities that cause destructive behaviors.

You may find yourself in a situation where you, or your child, is trapped in a destructive behavior that is addictive. It may be that bulimia, alcoholism, drug addiction, or some other addiction grips you, your spouse, your child or some other family member. No matter what is done, that person either refuses help or is only helped for a little while by treatment. You feel powerless and depressed by your inability to change the behavior. No matter how you may try to help them, they think you're being unreasonable and mean. The more you correct, the more the relationship is strained, until there is no relationship left to work from. No matter what the situation you find yourself in, you'll find peace when you trust that God can move the heart of the ones harming themselves.

First, you cannot make someone stop self-destructive behavior. Our first course of action, therefore, should be to pray that God would deliver us or them. We should pray that God would remove the desire for that self-destructive behavior. We should also pray that God would remove any physical, mental or spiritual hindrances to healing. As stated before, God is mighty and able to remove the strongest hindrances to healing.

Also, we should pray that God would direct that person to the spiritual and physical help for their problem. There is nothing wrong with seeking God first and then trusting him to lead us to wise counselors. This is important to you, because you need to have the support to handle the stress of the situation. It will be beneficial to hear you're not the only one who has faced this struggle and hear how others deal with it. These counselors, after all, may be the very means of deliverance God has for you.

When we've done all we believe God has lead us to do, we must leave it in God's hands. The same God who formed the mountains can, likewise, choose to remove that behavior instantly or over time. No matter what the outcome of the situation, however, we don't stop believing in God's abillities if the destructive behavior is not cured. We beg God to heal us/the ones we love and leave the results with Him.

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