A Beating Heart That Thinks?

It was long ago, somewhere in the dark ages I think. I was sitting in Science class learning about the various organs of our bodies & their unique functions. One amazing organ that caught my attention was the heart! Incredibly, this little muscle tirelessly pumps oxygenated blood to every living cell, every minute of every day, for as long as we live, until finally at the end, after working nonstop all that time, it gives out. Until then, the heart is taken care of for decades and even in times of starvation, the cardiac muscle converts lactate into fuel, always providing nutrients to itself to keep it going. Very impressive!

There is even evidence over the last few years, that the heart muscle can actually regenerate!! Amazing right? Well, although this incredibly designed pump never seems to get tired, us humans have found ways to speed up the natural ravages of time, bring disease and stress upon this faithful organ, causing it weaken, limp along, and finally come to a halt. At that sorry point in time, we take our last breath, and think our final thought. But until then, we carry on, doing what we want with our lives. The study of biology, anatomy and even chemistry fascinated me, even as a kid, and although I never went very far with it, it seemed as if any questions I had about life could be answered in some scientific way. It was all very cool! Our wonderful faithful pumping heart takes us through life, keeping our minds intrigued with all the amazing scientific discoveries as we absorb new stuff about our world.

But, even more awesome, is the study of the organ called the brain!! It is in the brain that our thoughts are generated, and it's with the brain that we study the heart, and all the other organs!

It is the brain that creates thoughts, and it is with the brain that we study the heart and all the other organs. So which one is more important? You can live out a pathetic existence maybe with the brain on hold, but the heart has to keep pumping away for us to stay alive. The information about thoughts that start upstairs in the cranial area is so vast and complex that medical science has yet to really understand how this organ works. There's an interesting and morbidly amusing article about the brain of Albert Einstein which is worth reading. Go Here to see what scientists did with his brain after he died! Needless to say, the brain is a sort of boss of the body; a powerful control tower, or big government that regulates what goes on down below..Science was definitely cool!
But before the advances of technology, and before even the simplest understanding of how it all works, there was a different kind of wisdom, found in the ancient pages of a sacred book called the Bible. Poetic and beautiful language, found in the book of Psalms chapter 33 vs. 11 speaks of the counsel of the Lord and the thoughts of his heart. An unscientific explanation possibly meant to satisfy our curiosity about life along with songs, music and praise is given here. The Lord God by the word of His mouth made the heavens. How? we do not know, but it says he spoke the word and it was done; and whether we are neurosurgeons or nobodies, we stand amazed when we look at a flower, or examine a single cell dividing under a microscope, or observe the path of a shooting star. How does it work? A few spoken words? 'By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.'vs. 6.

But we wanted to figure it out on our own, and understand it somehow, so we could publish our discoveries and record our studies and life work in articles and science digests. Everyone remembers science lab, the smell of formaldehyde and their very first dissected frog! Yuk! if only I could forget! But it was all in the name of science, and some of us went on to work in the field of medicine, sacrificing frog after frog!

Medical students learn how to transplant kidneys and other organs from one body to another. We look for temporary solutions and cures for diseases in our quest to be in control of our fate. We think with our created brains as our created hearts pump away for a few more years, giving us more time for learning, research and other life pursuits.
In verse 10 of Psalms 33, it says 'The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to naught; he makes the devices of the people of no effect.' No effect? But wait, is that really fair?? Shouldn't we put our trust in ourselves, and the ever progressing medical and scientific discoveries of modern times? And is it really the Lord that keeps us alive during a famine and delivers us from death as it states in verse.18? Could it be? Is He our help and our shield if we trust in His holy name? The bible also says the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of man..that it is with the simple faith of a child that someone enters into heaven. Should we just fear the Lord, and jump up and down with joy and singing? Is it mindless? It says we should fear the Lord; and that all the inhabitants of the world world stand in awe of him, that He fills our earth with his goodness, and promises to bless the nation whose God is the Lord! If this is true, we ought to call upon and trust in His name. Our inheritance is great, and something we will have beyond the death of this amazing creation. Verse 11 of that chapter states that 'The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.' I like the concept of a thinking heart! In Luke 6: 45 it says 'A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.' According to Charles Capps, words are the most powerful thing in the universe! How very insensible and strangely wonderful is this created body we live in, with it's complex brain activity and endlessly beating heart! How very foreign to the scientific mind to consider the creation of something from nothing! Nothing except the divine expression of a few words spoken by a Creator with a thinking heart!!