Forgive my hardened Heart

 Forgive My Hardened Heart

A Reflection on Ezekiel 36:26, Psalm 51:10, and Hebrews 3:8

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. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Forgive my hardened heart—the walls I've built so high,

The stubborn will that will not yield, the pride that will not die.

I have closed my ears to Your voice, I have turned away from Your light,

I have let the coldness of this world dim the fire of Your light.

Hardened—not by Your doing, but by my own choice,

By the weight of disappointment, by the silence of Your voice.

By the hurt that I have carried, by the fear I would not name,

By the comfort of my prison, by the safety of my shame.

But You, O Lord, are a God of mercy, a God of second chances,

You do not break the bruised reed, You do not snuff the smoldering wick.

You are the One who softens the hardest heart,

Who makes the broken whole, who gives a new start.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Forgive my hardened heart—and break the stone apart,

Let the living water of Your Spirit flow into every part.

Melt the ice of unforgiveness, shatter the walls of pride,

And let the tenderness of Your love in me abide.

I want to feel again—the joy of Your salvation,

The wonder of Your mercy, the hope of restoration.

I want to love as You have loved, to forgive as I've been forgiven,

To walk in the light of Your presence, to live in the freedom of heaven.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. (Hebrews 3:8)

So I come to You, Lord—with a heart that longs to be soft,

A heart that wants to be open, a heart that wants to be lost

In the depth of Your love, in the breadth of Your grace,

In the healing that flows from Your wounded face.

Forgive my hardened heart. Replace it with a heart of flesh,

A heart that beats in rhythm with Yours, a heart that is fresh

With mercy, with kindness, with compassion and grace,

A heart that reflects Your love in every time and place.

I receive Your forgiveness. I receive Your healing.

My hardened heart is melting; Your love is revealing

The tender heart You created me to have—

Amen.