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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

—Psalm 66:18

May my meditation be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the Lord.

—Psalm 104:34

I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

—Psalm 119:11

And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

—Mark 7:6-8

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

—Mark 7:20-23

When we read about interactions between Jesus (or His disciples) and the Pharisees, we need to remember a few things.

We aren't Jesus. He knew peoples' hearts in ways that we cannot, and He had the right to call out bad motives in a way that we do not. Jesus taught His disciples not to imitate the actions of the scribes and Pharisees. He explained His warnings, clearly distinguishing “[they] sit on Moses' seat” from “not the works they do.”

The Pharisees got some things right: the Sadducees denied resurrection, angel, and spirit, all of which the Pharisees acknowledged. Nicodemus and Gamaliel were Pharisees; so was Paul. During his hearing before the council and in his trial before Agrippa, as well as in His letter to the believers in Philippi, he identified himself as a Pharisee. That was his heritage, not his highest loyalty. So we can see the contrast between Pharisees who placed their loyalty in their "party" versus individuals—of whatever background—who place their trust in the Lord.

Many of the warnings about the Pharisees deal with misplaced trust, which focused on visible activity (or even "performance") instead of on the Lord or on the heart, which was to be the dwelling-place of His word.

From Deuteronomy (“love the Lord your God with all your heart...”) through the Prophets and throughout the Psalms, the Lord's people have always been called honor and follow Him with their hearts. And, of course, with words and actions.

And those come out of the heart.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

the floods have lifted up their voice;

the floods lift up their roaring.

Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

mightier than the waves of the sea,

the Lord on high is mighty!

—Psalm 93:3-4

The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.

—Genesis 7:17

Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

—Song of Solomon 8:7a

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

—Isaiah 43:2

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

—Luke 6:47-48

Sooner or later, we will all face circumstances that will show us that we are not as strong as we think we are. On our own.

I am not wise enough to have a tidy, postcard-sized theology of suffering and difficulty. But I don't have to. In fact, trying to pretend that I did would be another form of self-reliance, putting trust in the notion that I had everything figured out. Instead, reading the book of Job leads me to accept that even if I could ask the Lord to give me a full explanation of everything that happens in this world, I wouldn't understand the answer. And that's OK.

It's OK because He is above all the floods and winds and storms.

He doesn't take pleasure in our suffering, nor is He indifferent to it. He provides warning and instruction and “the way of escape” that allows us “to endure”. And He promised to be with us.

That takes different forms. Sometimes it means warning us not to stay in the valley, in the path of the coming flood (or collapsing glacier). Sometimes it means letting the flood waters lift us up, whether in an ark or on planks. Sometimes it means being the bedrock on which we can securely build, not because of our building skills, but because His foundation is secure. Sometimes the ground itself opens up and swallows the flood.

Despite the different forms and mysterious ways of His working, all of them show His unquenchable love and His enduring presence.

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.

—Psalm 29:10

Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through...when the water flows into the [Dead Sea], the water will become fresh [will be healed].

—Ezekiel 47:5

But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

—Amos 5:24

“And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

—Matthew 10:42

...for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

—2 Corinthians 8:1-2

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

—2 Corinthians 9:12

The idea of a flood often carries negative emotions. But, instead of images of wild and turbulent and destructive waters, we can also think of the quiet yet irresistible flow of a great river.

In ancient Egypt, the annual flooding of the Nile river banks brought life. It not only provided nutrient-rich silt to fertilize the soil, it diluted the salinity that accumulated from irrigation and evaporation.

One of the visions of Ezekiel depicts a trickle of water flowing from the temple that grows as it flows, becoming a mighty river that could not be crossed. But the mighty flow brings life instead of destruction, healing even the waters of the Dead Sea, and watering fruitful trees on the river's banks.

That imagery provides a rich background for considering the teaching of Jesus by the well at Sychar: a drink of His “water of life” becomes a flowing spring that continues to provide life. The healings that Jesus performed both show His compassion and make visible the spiritual healing and life that He brought.

The flow of the mightiest river at flood stage grew from individual raindrops. In the same way, the mighty river of justice and righteousness and compassion grows from the actions of those who are led by the Lord. Generosity and service overflow to make visible the grace and unfailing love of the One who sits enthroned over the flood.