A New Heart

Ezekiel 36:26-27(NLT)

“26; And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.  I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27; And I will put my Spirt in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

The prophecy in Ezekiel 36:26 to God’s people was given to them at a time when they had their hopes on restoration. Like many of us living today, they had done some things that were not pleasing to Heavenly Father, but He was merciful to forgive them. It wasn’t about the wrong that they did, it was about the glory of who God is. While this prophecy was given to those living in Old Testament times, thousands of years ago, its message is of course extremely timely and meaningful to believers that are living today. We are facing many challenges, and some of us are filled with worry and anxiety. We need God to do for us what He did for Old Testament believers. We need a new heart and a new spirit, so that we will trust and obey His Word. 

The people of Israel were in captivity because of their sinful behavior and their choice to turn away from God. Their hearts were hardened against Him, and they constantly ignored His commandments. Instead of worshipping Him, they chose to worship idol gods. They were a rebellious people and their behavior brought shame to God’s Holy name. They did not deserve His grace and mercy, but He gave it to them anyway. This tells us much about the tender heart of our loving Heavenly Father. 

We might look at our own lives and think to ourselves that we’ve fallen short. Some of us are doing things that we know are wrong. We’ve tried to stop, and we tell God each time that we’re going to do better, but we end up messing up all over again. 2Corinthians 12:9(KJV) tells us, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  God’s strength works best in weakness. He knows everything that can be known about every person living or that has ever lived. He knows about all the wrong that we do, but this doesn’t keep Him from loving us. He promises in His Word that if we’ll trust Him, He’ll never abandon us. He desires to come to our aid. 

Many of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s goodness and mercy. His grace is why we are still on this earth. His grace is sufficient unto us, but as those who want to love and honor Him, we can’t continue to sin over and over again without repenting. We should never treat the Lord this way, but instead we must wake up to His love and repent for our sins. 

I had a conversation with a woman that once had such zeal and heart for God, but her commitment dwindled towards Him. She and her ex-husband had been divorced three years when her children chose to leave her home to go live with their father. She was devastated. Repeatedly she asked herself why God allowed this to happen. She was angry, because in her eyes she had no warning or time to prepare for such a heart break. 

Most of us can sympathize with anyone going through something like this. Her feelings of betrayal were on a very deep level, and she felt that no amount of words could take away her heart break. This beloved woman was in need of a new heart, and only God can give it to her. She couldn’t understand the ‘why’ of her pain, and because she couldn’t, she blamed everything on God. Even though she did this, He still loves her and will help her if she will only humble herself and ask. 

When you don’t know what to do or you feel bewildered or disappointed by life, God’s promise in Ezekiel 36 will provide all that you need. There’s nothing God can’t and won’t do for His people, and we must trust this. Romans 5:5 tells us that our hope in Christ will never lead to disappointment or shame. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, God brings newness to our lives, and all He asks is that we rely on His strength, take comfort in His love, and trust His promises. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“A New Heart”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.