The Stone

Here in the Northwest is an amazing river called the Columbia River. It is the fourth largest river in the United States and draws its water from an area roughly the size of France. It is an amazingly beautiful river.

If you were to go down to the banks of this picturesque river it wouldn’t take much effort to find a small stone just past the water's edge. Leaning over, you could easily snatch that stone from the water to get a closer look. The rock would be wet and dripping with that cold Columbia River water, thoroughly drenched on all sides. But, if you took that rock and broke it open with a hammer, you would find that the inside would be dry. No wetness. No dripping. Just cold, hard rock.

That is a what a hard heart is like. The outside can be covered and immersed in the immense river of God’s love, but the penetration factor is absolute zero. When I can read the Bible or hear a pastor’s talk, and walk away from it without conviction or change, then my heart is becoming hard. I have gotten to the point where my hearts need to be softened once again.

Hosea, a prophet in the Old Testament of the Bible, said it well.

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your (hard) ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

O how God desires for our hearts to be soft before Him. You may find yourself in a place where you need God to do a work in you because your heart has grown hard. If that be the case, then you can do something that has the potential to soften the hard places of your heart. Pray. Pray like David prayed when he said,

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence, And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10

A few Q's for you

What is would you say the condition of your heart is? Do you read the Bible and at times feel like there is room for change? Do you then change?

Has reading the Bible and going to church become a chore?

Are you willing to pray the prayer that David prayed? If so, then just read that verse from Psalm 51:10 out loud and ask God to make it so in your life.