Emotions: A Gift from God?
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? — Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV
Yikes! When you read that verse, it’s no surprise that many Christian believers have been taught not to trust their emotions. I was raised to believe that emotions were untrustworthy and constantly changing. We were to trust Scripture and choose to believe what the Bible said, no matter how we felt.
While I believe there is truth in this perspective, I’ve come to realize that it’s not quite that simple. There is more to the heart and our emotions than meets the eye.
As believers, we receive a new heart and a new spirit. In fact, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are not simply improved versions of our old selves—we are new creations in Christ!
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ezekiel 36:26 ESV And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Wendy Backlund teaches that our emotions can reveal what we truly believe. We may intellectually agree with what the Bible says, but our emotional responses can sometimes reveal beliefs we hold more deeply, even at a subconscious level.
For example, if we truly believed, at the deepest level of our hearts, that God is who He says He is and that He is always with us, would we ever feel anxious? Can I honestly say that I never do? Absolutely not! So perhaps there are still some lies I believe about myself, God, or my circumstances that He wants to bring into the light.
Recently, the Lord has been showing me that our emotions—even the uncomfortable ones—can be gifts from Him. This surprised me a little. Without really examining it, I think I had assumed that negative emotions came from a wrong source and certainly weren’t part of God’s design. Our job, I thought, was to somehow conquer them and move on. I knew I could use peace and love to let me know that I was on God’s path, but I didn’t know that anger, frustration, and loneliness were signposts as well.
Here’s what I believe God has been showing me: Negative emotions can alert us to areas of our hearts that need attention, beliefs that may not align with Truth, wounds that need healing, or places where we need His help and perspective.
Well, imagine that!
I can begin to approach my frustration, anger, pain, and even fear with a different attitude. Instead of condemning myself for feeling these things, I can become curious about what they might be revealing. I can bring them to God and invite Him into a heart-to-heart conversation. In His presence, these emotions can become catalysts for healing, freedom, and maturity.
Of course, not every uncomfortable emotion means that we believe a lie. Sometimes fear alerts us to genuine danger, grief reflects a real loss, and anger may point to an injustice. Emotions aren't always revealing a heart issue inside us, but they are often a red flag that tells us we need to spend time processing what the true cause of the emotion is. We can acknowledge what we feel, bring it to God, and allow His truth and wisdom to help us understand it. We can exchange the hurt places with His comfort and love.
So, no, I no longer believe that Jeremiah 17:9 means that I must ignore my emotions because my heart is ‘desperately wicked’. In Christ, I have been given a new heart. And as God continues His work in me, I can learn to listen to my emotions without being ruled by them. They can help direct me toward the Good Way and reveal areas where my attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives need some fine-tuning.
Let’s learn to be thankful even for our uncomfortable emotions! They point us toward the very places where God wants to bring our next breakthrough. When we process them with Him, rather than avoiding, suppressing, or allowing them to reverberate endlessly in our hearts, we make room for greater understanding, healing, and freedom.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. — John 8:36
May we learn to welcome every emotion as an opportunity to draw closer to God, trusting Him to lead us into greater truth, healing, and freedom.
