Thoughts Of The Heart

A Reflection on the First Reading for February 2nd, 2020:
The Feast of The Presentation of The Lord

Malachi 3.1-4

Thus says the Lord God: “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight — indeed, he is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.

“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.”

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I have always been drawn to the prophecy of Simeon from the gospel of Luke, which is the gospel reading for this, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. I very much appreciate the connection between this reading from Malachi and in particular, Luke 2:35, when Simeon says to Mary, “… the inner thoughts of many will be revealed…”


I used to be unaware of my inner thoughts; the thoughts of my heart. I always knew that I felt a certain way, that my heart was telling me something, but I never paid much attention to the thoughts behind why my heart did what it did. Still now, I am not always conscious of the secret motivations of my heart unless I sit in God’s presence and talk to Him bravely, honestly, and with a desire for growth and learning. I can convince myself pretty easily that my motivations are pure and selfless, but if I’m honest I can just as easily (perhaps more so) talk myself out of noble endeavours and the pursuit of virtue based on all kinds of ‘reasonable’ justifications.


Whenever I sit in His presence, He refines me — He shines light on my assumptions, turns anger and frustration into gratitude, gives me the courage to be wrong and to ask for respect. He gives me the strength to work hard and to accomplish more than I could on my own. His love — the source of all love — is the best love, the purest love, the love that allows us to fail and still be valued and desired. From His love flows our love, and the more we are refined, the more beautifully we are able to love. To love with the kind of love that casts out fear, that has no need to control, that shines truth like a beacon and has a strength like no other.

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I know that today, I would not stand if He appeared. But I also know that in my trials, in the things that challenge me, in my suffering, in my weakness, and ultimately in my desire to draw closer to Him, He is refining me. Knowing this is such a comfort, because it gives meaning to my struggles and my rogue thoughts and feelings, and I’m reminded once again that I need not fear. “Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:7). He only desires that we keep returning. ​




Lindsay Elford

Photo by Malcolm Lightbody on Unsplash

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