Focus: Jeremiah 24:7 - KJV
7. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
Jeremiah 32:36-44
The Lord is not served when people are thrown into turbulence for lack of peace, and because He is good, even though we, as men throw ourselves into so much trouble by going into acts He disapproves and thereby make His face to be turned from us, He makes provision for our return and restoration. In the restoration, even if things had appeared hopeless, the latter end is much more glorious. Such restoration is made possible by God performing in us a special heart surgery that gives us the mind of loving and fearing God. In this, we relate with Him as our God and therefore have His face refocused on us.
By the example of Israel, we observe, particularly in the book of Judges, that whenever Israel went whoring with strange gods, the countenance of God departed from them and they were drawn into bondage by one or the other of their neighbors. However, as they come to their senses, fasted and prayed in repentance unto God, He returned to them and appointed to them leaders to draw them out of bondage and prospered them again. The interesting thing is that, it is the Lord that aids us into repentance by giving us a new heart, the heart of love and fear of God.
That neighbor that appears evil in our sight may be on that operation because we have caused the face of the Lord to move from us in that our ways are not thorough with God. It is good to say, by this Guide, the Lord is opening our hearts to see why we need to make Him our God by loving and fearing Him more, to abstain from all that He despises and do His will instead. When we comply, He restores us to splendor and gives us great latitudes to enlarge our coasts. We must first accept the surgery and allow the new heart to function effectively in us. Otherwise, then it is reckoned that we have rejected the procedure and therefore there is a surgical “failure” occasioned by our rejection and not God’s error.
SOLUTION: Take time out to ponder on the being of God and answer this question dispassionately: is God someone we ought to disobey? Your answer to this will determine the next line of action. If He is awesome enough to be loved and respected, please respect Him; if not, you may discountenance the new heart He has put in you. We must warn however that the second option comes with great consequences.
Father, we thank you for changing our hearts from that of stone to that of flesh. Let our new heart function effectively to make us love and fear you more in Jesus’ name. Every aspect of our lives, please let it be pleasing to you forever more, in Jesus’ name. And on this very day, make us start to see and enjoy the benefit of your presence in our lives in Jesus’ mighty name.
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