The Yielded Heart

Today, we begin our third step through the final mile, before we come to Resurrection Sunday. As stated yesterday, we are lifting up the banner of that single verse of Charlotte Barnard’s hymn; Saviour, while my heart is tender.

We are very aware that the entire hymn has many verses, however, we have been given this one stanza.

Saviour, while my heart is tender,

I would yield that heart to Thee;

All my powers to Thee surrender,

Thine, and only Thine, to be.

We accept that this one chosen verse, carries for us, the heart, mind, soul and freedom of the hymn writer. Does this not remind you of Noah and the dove with the one olive leaf in its beak? Indeed, just as one leaf of an olive tree, in the beak of so frail and small a creature, becomes a most powerful, vivid and truth-bearing banner of good news; news that the water is receding off the face of the earth, so too this single verse.

For the other days of Holy Week, this verse will be our main source, as the Holy Spirit, leads us through, some very smooth paths and some most excruciatingly hard ones. Whatever paths we might meet, today we follow on the praising path. We, like the palm-waving and praise-shouting people, have surrendered ourselves to the Lord, so that we too can know tender hearts. We knew and felt the youthfulness of the heart, as in hearing about Jesus, we became all excited in spirit and truth, filled with the joy our Lord brings to the believer.

Today we take our heart banner from the phrase, I would yield that heart to Thee. We, who have known tender hearts, because we have heard of the coming of Jesus, Saviour and King, to where we are and we have been overtaken by youthful, uninhibited joy. It is this joy, this happiness which leaves us no choice but to yield our blessed hearts to Jesus.

Never forget, when those who had come into Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Feast of the Passover, heard and witnessed Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, they witnessed LOVE in humility and meekness. Love, the greatest and the best, bowed low, a King on a colt, the foal of a donkey. All the watching world witnessed this demonstration of Love.

Keep looking at Jesus. What are you seeing of Him in this moment? Whatever you and I may see, we cannot but all see His free, rich, saving Love and sustaining Grace in each of our changed lives. It is because of His Love and His Love alone that we are happy, with tender hearts to yield our hearts to Him. Can we, like a sinner woman, a person who has known the saving grace and love of Jesus, follow Him in the deep humility and meekness of love?

What is the condition of your heart on this third day of Holy week? If indeed it is a yielded heart, then Jesus, Friend of sinners; Jesus, Saviour of sinners, will be published in full colour for all to see and turn to Him for salvation.

With four more Holy Week days to go, four-seventh of the final mile, we lift yielded hearts to Jesus.

We are continuing with this heart, tomorrow.