“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.” Ezekiel 36:26
Gracious Father, when you brought us from death to life in Jesus, you gave us the “new heart” you promised through your servant-son Ezekiel. You also gave us the permanent indwelling of your Spirit. Hallelujah, and thank you. Our “stony” hearts are being replaced with the cardiac health of heaven—a slow but most certain reality.
One Day our new heart will only beat for Jesus’ glory. We will love with Jesus’ affection and overflow with his joy. Never again will we have to pray David’s prayer, “Lord, give me an undivided heart…” (Psalm 86:11). Never again will we sing, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”
Everything deceitful in our hearts will be gone (Jer. 17:9). The thoughts of our hearts (Prov. 23;7) and words of our mouths (Luke 6:45) will only honor you and bless others. We’ll never have to guard our hearts again (Prov. 4:23).
You won’t have to come close to us when we are brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), for we will be with you—with our completely healed, whole, perfected hearts. Hasten that Day.
Father, well before Jesus returns, or you bring us Home, free us to recognize and repent of the vestiges of our “stony-heartedness.” Your grace gives us this freedom; may we take advantage of our freedom. In our most Gospel-sane moments, none of us really wants to love you less than you deserve, or harm people. So Very Amen.
