How to Keep Your Heart Soft Before God

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He was a young physician making hospital rounds

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when an older patient, calm and kind, asked him a simple

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question. Doctor, what do you believe? No one had ever put it

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to him that directly. He realized he didn't really have

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an answer. And for whatever reason, that moment stuck with

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him and wouldn't let him go.

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I am Bart Léger.

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Today, we're talking about something every believer faces

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at some point, and that is how to keep your heart soft before

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God. Not overly emotional, but open and responsive. Tender

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instead of calloused. Not cynical or numb. Ezekiel 36, 26

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says, And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new

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spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart, and

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give you a tender, responsive heart. God doesn't tell you to

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fix your own heart. He says, Let me change it. let's get back to

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the story. In the days after that hospital conversation,

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Francis Collins started reading a book I've given to many who

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claim to be atheist or agnostic. That book, Mere Christianity.

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And he read it along with the Bible. And as he read, the walls

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he'd built between faith and science began to soften. A few

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weeks later, on a hike in the Cascades, he knelt down in the

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wet grass and told Jesus, I'm yours. The scientist who once

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called himself an atheist became a follower of Christ. And it all

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began with God gently opening his heart. And that's what God

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does. But he doesn't force your heart open. He invites you to

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stay soft before him. And I don't know about you, but the

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older I get, the more I realize how easy it is to let life make

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you hard. And for me, especially since being involved in law

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enforcement, I've seen way too much tragedy and violence.

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Disappointment and discouragement pile up. You get

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tired, you get hurt, you get busy. And before you know it,

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your heart is less tender than it used to be. So the question

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is, how do you keep your heart soft and open before God? Well,

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first, stay honest with him. A hard heart usually starts with

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hidden hurt. When you tell God the truth, like the psalmist did,

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something like, Lord, I feel distant. I'm frustrated. I'm

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confused. What you do is, you give him room to work. Second,

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keep showing up in Scripture, even when you don't feel like it.

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You know, the Bible has a way of softening places we didn't even

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know had hardened.

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Thirdly, guard against bitterness. And this one's

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important. Bitterness doesn't stay small. It spreads into

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places you didn't intend. So decide to keep short accounts.

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Letting God deal with your anger, hurt, and frustration will

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protect your heart. Fourth, practice forgiveness. And

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practice it early, instead of waiting until you're deeply

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wounded.

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It's something we're commanded to do, and I know it doesn't

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come easily, but that's where God's Holy Spirit comes in. He

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can provide the strength, the power, and the grace to forgive.

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And then finally, pay attention to what's shaping you. Some

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things soften your heart. Others suck all the life out of it and

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harden it. A tender heart grows in the right environment. Things

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like prayer, Scripture, worship, and community, and honesty

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before God, those are the things that will soften your heart. A

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soft heart isn't something you manufacture. It's something you

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surrender to. Because God promises to take the hard,

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unresponsive places and make them tender again. Here's

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today's challenge. Take two minutes today and ask God, Lord,

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is any part of my heart getting hard? And then listen and be

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honest and invite him to soften what's grown stubborn, what's

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grown numb, or the parts of your heart that's hardened. I believe

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God loves answering that prayer. Lord, thank you that you don't

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leave us stuck with hardened hearts. You're the one who gives

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us a new heart and a new spirit. Keep our hearts tender toward

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you. Soften the places that have grown cold and help us stay

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responsive to your voice. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for

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joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.

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Remember, a soft heart doesn't happen by accident. Let God tend

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it. Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live

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grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great

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day.