and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26
Earlier this week in our worship meeting, we were praying over our community. We prayed specifically in two areas: that the Lord would break us, tearing down walls and softening hardened hearts, and that he would then do something new.
It seems dangerous, and odd, rather, to pray such a disruptive prayer. To willingly ask that the Lord would put a fracture in our thoughts and our ways. Breaking is painful and uncomfortable, and is accompanied with loss and change. Why would anyone want to pray such a thing?
Because nothing new can happen with the old still around.
We can choose to be broken by self-examination and inward reflection of the heart, or we can be catapulted into brokenness by our own lack of obedience to God's wisdom.
This latter was the Israelites.
There is a beautiful chapter in Ezekiel 36 that is titled, "Hope for the Mountain of Israel."
The land and mountains of Israel had been through it during the exile. It had been stolen and plundered, ravaged and crushed. It had suffered the scorn of many other evil nations, their arrogant idols and gods given forced prominency of the high hills.
But this was God's land. God's people. And through Ezekiel he spoke to the Mountains of Israel prophetically, revealing how he would make this broken, weary land new in order to welcome home its people. He reveals the future restoration for Israel and the temple amidst a time of exile and loss:
8 “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. 9 I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, 10 and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.Even as the Lord speaks of the restoration of the land, he says that it must be plowed and sown. The land must be disrupted and dug up in order for new branches and fruit to be produced. There is pruning and care that is yet to be completed for healing and life to come forth.
I love that he says in verse 9, "I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown." I am concerned for you, therefore, you will be plowed. God's concern for his children in this passage is directly coincided with the act of plowing—tearing up, turning over, digging up, regenerating...
Likewise, God's care for us comes through the plowing and the breaking of what once was. Whether we choose the place of brokenness or whether we end up in it without realizing it. He loves us by growing and deepening us, softening us, rebuilding us from the ruin.
Then to his people in Ezekiel 36, the Lord says:
As we continue to pray for our church community, these are the words we long to see break through: new hearts, new spirits, and life being brought from hearts of stone. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Lord, soften hearts.
Tear down walls.
Let your Holy Spirit breathe new life!
We are eager to see the Lord work new things and break what is comfortable. We want the greatness of our God to push us beyond the familiar and into the miraculous.
Thank you for reading. I can't wait to worship with you on Sunday.
Jamie
jrobison@b4church.org
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