How To Soften A Hard Heart

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

Psalm 51:17

The last few weeks I had a secret prayer that I didn't utter a word to anyone about. It was said in the back of my mind and kept there so as to not seem a fool yet God knew of it. He knew of it and has graciously granted me to comprehend a thin layer of how He is sovereign over all. My personally embarrassing question was: "how does one soften a hard heart?" We tend to get caught up in the daily routine of living in the world not fully focused on Christ and the gospel.. So as I feared that my heart would harden I silently prayed this prayer within me..

We are clay. We are dust. We are made of dust only to return to dust. (Ecclesiastes 3:20) My physical body is indeed dust that will return to dust, yet I also do believe my soul is also made of clay. For there is a maker and the maker does say to soften one's heart towards Him. (Hebrews 3:15) Clay can turn soft or hard. But the profound question that got my mind to think was "What do you have to do to clay to get it to harden?" and the answer was.. "nothing." You do absolutely nothing for the clay to harden. Clay in it's natural state desires nothing more than to be hardened. Then my thoughts began to rise upon how one may soften hardening clay? The answer again is "nothing." God owns all that He created. He owns me and my heart. He owns the waters to revive my dulled state of a hard heart. We do not have the living water that is there to revive us from our hardening. We are to ask for it. We are to desire and thirst for it. The Word is of God and He is God. He is the living water. Conclusively going to the Bible, reading the word, it will bring forth living waters for He is living water itself. Sure, pouring a cup or two of water on a hardening piece of clay may not seem like it's doing much in the beginning but I have hope that the more you pour unto it- the more you continue to go back and forth from the well towards the fire of hardened souls it will soften the surface and at some point be able to be malleable yet again ONLY by God's abundant grace.

If one is too hard to do so, we ought to be broken. We are to die to ourselves and let the Almighty Creator mend us and mold us. Does He not give us another day to breathe the life granted to us? Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open (Matthew 7:7) Yet, when we ask we must ask in faith with no doubting. (James 1:6) and where does that faith come from? Why it comes from the Word of God Himself of course. He is rich in mercy and gives wisdom to all who ask without reproach! May we go after the One who created us to yearn for Him. May we go after the One who granted us a never-ending vortex of a hole in our soul which can only be filled up by one who is indeed never-ending love.. We are not content with our lives for a reason. We are always seeking the next high, the next big thing when nothing is as high or lofty as the Lord God Himself.. May we have peace with His true word. His always faithful and true word that is granted to us. Let us not dwell in what we cannot control but dwell in the One who is in control of everything...