Our Hearts Are in God’s Hands

 

Philippians 4:13(NLT)
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

“What was I thinking…giving a man my whole heart, only for him to demolish it.”

Philippians 4:13 is a tremendous source of strength and support, particularly when we face difficulties and tribulations. This is especially true when it comes to experiencing betrayal from a loved one. Like many of you, some of my friends and family members have been on the receiving end of this kind of heartache, and they have endured it more than a few times. I’ve seen them try to minimize the pain, and sometimes they’ve chosen to do this in self-destructive ways. There’s no doubt that the pain of a broken heart is gut-wrenching. The effects of betrayal can leave you traumatized to the point that you don’t want to get out of bed or face the day. You just don’t think you have the strength to make it through. The reality is that pain reveals the extent to which we desperately need the power of God’s love and Word. This the only medicine that can truly heal a broken heart.

In Ezekiel 36:26-27(NLT), through the prophet, Ezekiel, God told His people living in Old Testament times, “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 Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” During the time of this prophecy, God’s people were in captivity because they sinned against God and chose to turn away from Him. Ignoring His commandments, they hardened their hearts against Him and began to worship idols. After all He had done for them, they chose to be a rebellious people and brought shame to God’s Holy name.

The population of those living in other regions during that time that did not worship our Heavenly Father, and idolatry was rampant among them. God chose the children of Israel as His people, and He set them apart to worship Him alone. His desire was to lavish them with His protection and care and make them an outward demonstration to everyone else of His favor and blessings. We must understand that God’s name is holy, and this is extremely important for every believer to know and trust. Holiness is the greatest of all qualities, and its purity is unequalled. So, God’s name must always be elevated and magnified, because He alone is worthy of all praise, glory, and honor. The Jewish people living during that time defamed His holy name through their disobedience, and He said in Ezekiel 36:20-21(NLT), “20 But when they were scattered among the nations, they brought shame on my holy name. For the nations said, ‘These are the people of the LORD, but he couldn’t keep them safe in his own land!’ 21 Then I was concerned for my holy name, on which my people brought shame among the nations.”

God made a promise to them in Ezekiel 36:22-23(NLT), “I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations.” In this record of Ezekiel 36, we see the lengths our Heavenly Father went through to help His people, even when they sinned horribly against His Word and love. They totally disregarded Him and didn’t give Him the honor, love, and reverence He so richly deserves. But Ezekiel 36:26 tells us that He gave them a new heart and placed a new spirit in them. This is what many of us need today.   

I remember having a conversation with a woman that had such great heart for God. She was devoted to the Lord, but after her marriage fell apart, she began to fall away from Heavenly Father. She said to me, “I gave my whole heart to my husband, and he just demolished it.” She had been oblivious to her husband’s infidelity until one day she received a phone call from a woman, and she told her that she had a one-year-old son with her husband. The wife was in shock and felt this news had totally dismantled her life. She kept asking why God allowed this to happen to her. Her anger turned to rage every time she thought about the fact that she had no warning, and no time to prepare for this extremely painful heartbreak.

We are happy with God when things go well for us, but when times are rocky and hurtful, many of us blame Him. God doesn’t cause our heartbreak. He isn’t pulling anyone’s strings like a puppet. All of us have free-will choice, and we make our own decisions. Our outcomes in life would be infinitely better if we allow God to guide our decisions and choices, but we don’t always do this. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t punish us. We’re His children, and He wants us to be happy and blessed all the time. When this isn’t the case, we need to remember the record of what God did for His people in Ezekiel 36.

Lamentation 3:23 tells us that God’s mercies are new every morning. And only His promise of newness in Jesus Christ can bring hope when you’re struggling with pain, shame, and hurt. Relying on His power and strength instead of your own is the way to invite His healing and restoration into your life. Jesus Christ invites us in Matthew 11:28 to bring all our burdens to him. He cares for us and wants us to give our lives to God through him. This is what he did to save us. He offered up his life for our sins, and three days after his sacrifice, God resurrected him from the dead. Trusting in God’s resurrection power and believing that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins transfers us from death to life! We are born again when we believe in God’s love in Christ with our whole hearts. So, when our hearts are broken, we can be assured that God can give us a new one.

That’s what God promised His people—He assured the Israelites, “I will give you a new heart…I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”  He also promised them, “I will cleanse you from all your impurities, and put my Spirit in you.”  He promised this to a people who’d lost hope. God promised a fresh start, and He made this promise as the Only One who could renew their lives. This is what He will do for us as well. Heavenly Father is glorious, and He created us to give Him glory and to share in this glory as well. When we trust in Him, we receive a new spiritual heart, one that’s cleansed of our sin and despair. No matter what we’ve been through, our pain doesn’t define us. When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ, our hearts are in God’s hands, and if we will trust in Him alone, He will fill our hearts with His love. ■

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.

 “Our Hearts Are in God's Hands”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.