But Zedekiah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the LORD, the God of Israel.
— 2 Chronicles 36:12-13 (NLT)
Zedekiah, by his own choice, became a hard and stubborn man.
Have you ever thought you were right about something and therefore you were not willing to look at any other view? No doubt, all of us have done that at one time or another. But let’s say it like it is – that is a stubborn heart. We have made up our mind about a situation or idea and there is no changing it. We don’t want to look at another point of view because we have decided we are right.
As we have seen in the scripture, God is limited by a hard heart. He has given us a new heart, a soft heart, yet we can harden that heart if we are not willing to open up and allow God to show us something.
When my children were growing up and came to me saying, “He hit me or called me a name or wouldn’t let me play”, I remember thinking, “Hmm, wonder what really happened.” I would ask them, “so tell me exactly what happened and what you said or did”. Oftentimes I would get the full story when they would say, “All I did was push them out of the way or make a face, etc.”
Well, that’s a little different story. I point out that they didn’t treat them nicely either. All they wanted was for me to fuss at the other playmate or tell their parents. I wanted them to help them see the situation from the other person’s point of view and admit what they did.
Of course, they were all about justification because they felt they were in the right. I wanted them to be willing to look at their part in what happened. The same thing happens to us.
I tell you this story because in order to keep a soft heart, we must be willing to be honest with ourselves and before God. I try to remember to ask God to show me if I did anything to cause the problem. Maybe I did nothing, but oftentimes I did and we have to face it, being honest with ourselves . Sometimes we see things that shock us about ourselves and it hurts, but I can only be healed and set free if I am willing and open to see the truth about myself. Honesty plus truth brings about internal transformation.
God never condemns you. He just wants you to let Him heal you as you admit your part. You can choose to walk in the new person you are.
Don’t be like Zedekiah and allow your heart to grow hard; keep it soft by remembering, and facing Truth.
“The amount of permeating light depends upon the beliefs of your heart”.
Maintain A Soft Heart