Read: Ezekiel 36:25–27, CSB
“I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.”
On Thursday, Jan. 3, my family’s prayers were answered. My sister Esther needed a heart transplant. Her heart was not functioning properly and she was growing weaker and weaker each day.
Our church was praying for her, our family was praying for her, and friends across the country were praying for her. And then came the phone call: Esther was crying and rejoicing to tell me that God had answered our prayers and provided a new heart for her.
We praised God together and thanked him for his faithfulness and his provision. And by the next morning, by God’s grace, my sister had a new heart, which is working perfectly. She grows stronger each day.
This miracle reminded me of the miracle of salvation.
Each of us was born with a heart disease called sin. This disease affects every area of our lives. It hinders our ability to function properly and fulfill our purpose by glorifying God. But thank God that, by grace through faith in Christ, he has provided a way for us to receive a new heart. Salvation turns our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh and gives us the ability to live for the glory of God.
Take a moment today to thank God for a new heart!
Prayer Prompt: Father God, your gracious provision to us is amazing. Truly you have provided all that we need. Thank you for giving us a new heart! Thank you for healing us! Thank you for giving us life!
Adron Robinson is pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country Club Hills and president of the Illinois Baptist State Association.