The Ultimate Heart Monitor

1 Samuel 16: 7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

The shrill ringing of the phone in the middle of the night sent me through the roof. I clutched the phone, shaking, not even sure how I’d gotten out of bed, but somehow I’d thrown the covers back and grabbed that phone before the first tone died away. A scare with my father-in-law’s heart had sent my in-laws hurrying to the ER.

Thankfully, he was okay, but the doctors couldn’t exactly pinpoint his problem. So, they prescribed an event monitor to try to determine what was wrong with his heart. The results were less than satisfactory. After wearing this device for several days, he was no closer to answers than he was before the call that took another ten years off my life.

What are Holter Monitors and Event Recorders?

To record an outpatient’s EKG for a prolonged period of time, a doctor might prescribe ambulatory monitoring in the form of Holter monitors or event recorders. The purpose is to look for evidence of erratic heart problems that might not manifest themselves when a standard EKG is performed.

But doctors don’t just run out into the streets and ask people if they want this kind of monitor strapped on them. Most of the time people have to ask.

How do they work?

The Holter monitor and an event recorder are basically trying to find the same thing, but the two pieces of equipment go at it in different ways.

With the Holter monitor, electrode leads are applied to the patient and attached to a tape recorder. The patient is sent home and resumes normal activities for 24-48 hours. Then the device is removed and the doctor analyzes the results on the tape.

Event recorders don’t record every heart beat on a tape. Instead, event recorders store about 30 seconds of a patient's heart rhythm “on demand”. The patient waits for a “symptom of interest” to occur. When this happens, he presses a button that captures a the next few seconds of the “event”. The advantage of event recorders is that a patient with a transient heart problem can wear the recorder up to 30 - 60 days.

When should ambulatory monitoring be done?

When a standard EKG doesn’t give the doctor the results he needs, he might prescribe the Holter monitor. But even then, continuous monitoring for 24-48 hours may not record a problem that occurs once a month or so. And an Event Monitor is dependent on the patient being in tune with his symptoms so he can deploy the button. While both are wonderful medical inventions, they are designed for short-term tests and intermittent tests, not for an indefinite, permanent testing.

The Ultimate Heart Monitor

But there is One who monitors our heart 24/7/365 days a year from the moment we are born until the moment we pass from this life.

David asks God to strap a heart monitor on him in Psalms 26:2. Examine me, O LORD, and prove Me; try My reins and My heart.

David asks God to come in, monitor his heart and show him what is wrong. Unlike any man-made device, if God’s monitor finds a broken or diseased heart, He can fix it. All we have to do is ask.

In Psalms, chapter 51, Nathan the prophet exposes David’s sin and David prays for a pure heart. Verse 2, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindess: according unto the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” David continues his prayer for cleansing with verse 10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.”

Indeed, scripture teaches us that David was a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)

1 Chronicles 28:9 says, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever.”

God’s heart monitor is strapped on 24/7/365 days a year recording every heartbeat, every hiccup, every thought, and imagination. It’s our job to hit the replay button and follow his prescription to become a man (or woman) after God’s own heart.

Other posts you might like:

God’s Promise of a New Heart

Can You Really Hate the Sin and Love the Sinner?

I’m Not Able on My Own

~

Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Claiming Mariah is her second novel. www.pamhillman.com

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Pam is thrilled to announce the release of her second novel,

Claiming Mariah

Claiming Mariah Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/apnzl5n

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To celebrate, Pam is giving away two eReaders

(choice of Kindle Wi-Fi, 6" Display, or Nook Simple Touch)

Two Winners: One on facebook. One through Pam’s Newsletter.

Facebook Drawing: Kindle/Nook Giveaway

Newsletter: Pam’s Newsletter.

Registering both places is not required but will double your chances of winning. Also keep in mind that you will receive updates more often being connected on facebook than through the newsletter. Just sayin’

Contest runs from January 1^st until March 31^st, 2013.