Be Still and Be Happy: Devotions for WomenSample

Heart Transplant

God has an active role in creating spiritual renewal in the people of Israel and in our lives today. The symbolism in Ezekiel 11:19 about God performing heart surgery on us shows that we can’t do this ourselves. At the same time, it is clear from Ezekiel 18:31 that we are commanded to make ourselves a new heart by putting our faith in the Lord. Both God’s role and our response are at work.

A heart of stone is unreceptive, dead, and unfeeling toward God. Apart from God, we are hopeless. We don’t need quadruple bypass surgery; we need a total heart transplant. The kindness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). We who are in Christ are now soft-hearted and receptive to the Lord, and we become conduits of his life. As you think about those you know who need Christ, be mindful of the miraculous heart transplant required.

Lord, what a miracle you have worked in my heart! I look to you to soften the hardest hearts in those around me.