2 Chronicles 4-6; John 12:20-50

“Oh, Lord God of Israel; there is no God like You in the heaven; there is no God like You in the earth, Oh Lord God of Israel.  Who keepeth covenant and showeth mercy unto Your servants who walk before You with all of their heart,” (2 Chronicles 6:14). These are words in Solomon’s prayer to dedicate the temple, and these are words in a song I find to be powerful in its application to my faith as a Christian.  I especially am drawn to the last part that says, “with all of their heart.” I tend to go all the way in most things that I do.  I’ve been called obsessive, perfectionist, and even critical because of my opinions.  To be honest, there have been numerous occasions where I had to ask for forgiveness after thumping others on the head with all of my know-it-all factoids or because of giving unsolicited advice. Funny thing is that I do not always see when this happens, for I can be in the throes of a diatribe that I believe to be necessary. And then there are times when I’m following Christ, that the desire to be in His will is so strong that I cry or fall to my knees. This feeling is different than when I am passionate about earthly things; this feeling seems ancient, undeniable, and intimate, leading to a depth of belief that my rational mind cannot achieve. Solomon goes on to say, “…whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of men)…” (2 Chronicles 6:29). This is my only explanation for what happens when I pray to God; He knows me, and because He knows me, he hears from heaven.  I listen for His voice at these times, mostly because I can do nothing else. Yet, there are some who cannot understand this kind of heart-felt belief. Isaiah prophesied, and John quotes from that (Isaiah 6:1), “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them, (John 12:40).” It almost seems that God has interfered with free will.  A deeper reading reveals that the consequences of repeated rejection is loss of the capacity to believe. And since “With the heart one believes unto righteousness,” (Romans 10:10), this constant refusal to turn to God is the hardening .  I can remember from my years of rejecting Christ how defensive a heart can become. Only by His grace, and it is with the greatest gratitude, is this believer’s heart known by God and wholly given to God.   Janet

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