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A Soft Heart
Andrea Lende • January 10, 2021
Mark 6:52
A Soft Heart
You can listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/A-Soft-Heart-eopl1u
Mark 6:52
“For they failed to consider or understand [the teaching and meaning of the miracle of] the loaves; [in fact] their hearts had grown callous [had become dull and had lost the power of understanding].”
I have read this passage many times.
The words that stood out to me today are about the disciples’ hearts growing cold.
In fact, our passage uses the word callous.
Sometimes I wonder.
I wonder how the very people being in the Messiah’s presence could have had hearts that grew cold.
And then I am reminded we are all human.
It is not human nature to be able to exist in our best place every minute of every day.
We simply do not experience continuous mountain top living.
The disciples didn’t and we can’t either.
We experience highs and lows throughout our lives.
Therefore, I pray.
I pray the Lord will keep my heart soft toward Him, so it doesn’t grow cold and callous.
I pray that when I am unable to feel Him, He still keeps me close to Him.
I pray that my hard heart will melt for Him.
He listens to our petitions.
He answers us.
I find it important to pray in earnest for the Lord to keep my heart soft.
During these difficult days, upset seems to supersede peace.
Frustration exceeds ease.
Every day we are reminded of unrest.
So, I pray.
I pray more fervently than ever.
I pray the Lord grant His peace over my life and the lives of my loved ones.
I pray for peace over our great nation.
As I pray, the callous edges of my heart start to melt.
He changes my heart.
He fills my soul.
My spirit is held by our gracious and loving Lord.
I sense a shift as the anger starts to subside.
And this is God.
God mends.
God heals.
God loves.
God fills me with His love.
Today I choose to pray the Lord will keep my heart soft toward Him and that He will help me love others where love seems absent.
May you find the Lord will keep your heart soft toward Him so you will be able to love and forgive and offer peace to those around you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me I need to pray for a soft heart. As the world turns hard and cold, may You replace all anger with peace. May Your wisdom fill Your people, Lord. May Your Spirit fill our hearts as we spend time with You. Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son so we can cling to You during these days of unrest. Thank You for being the Almighty God Who still wants to have relationship with each and every one of Your children. May we look to You as we look to our earthly fathers for safety, protection, provision, and love. As You are the Creator of the universe You continue to create. Your plan is perfect. Help us walk into the plan You have for each of one us and for this nation and our world. May Your Word bless us as we read about how marvelous You are. You are Almighty God and are greatly to be praised! I praise You, Lord. I praise Your Holy Name! May You keep my heart in a state of praise and worship of You, Lord. Keep my heart Yours for all eternity. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you and all My children, and My Spirit is upon each of you and all who are in the world.
Response: Thank You, Almighty and All-Powerful Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.