Hard Hearted

Jeremiah 4:3-4 (NLT)
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. 4 O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.


These verses are a call to Judah and Jerusalem to repent and change. Their hearts have been hardened, but they can change. If they would only realize their sins then they could break up the hard ground of their hearts so it would be ready to receive God’s word and thrive.


Hard hearted is defined as lacking in sympathetic understanding. In the book of Exodus Pharaoh’s heart was hard against the Israelites. Pharaoh refused to listen to their plea to be released from the bondage of slavery. He was unsympathetic to the conditions under which they lived. He did not feel they deserved the same quality of life the rest of the Egyptians were privileged to. Instead he kept hardening his heart toward them no matter what was said or what was done. Has your heart ever been hardened towards someone? Maybe you were hurt by someone and shut them out of your heart. Maybe you were taught someone didn’t deserve what you have. Maybe just maybe you hardened your heart towards God. Fortunately God keeps His heart open to us. God is always willing to reconcile us to Him. God wants us to have conditions better than we have now, which is why he opened the opportunity to be with Him in heaven through His Son Jesus Christ. Open your heart to God and you will find it opening up to others as well. Let God soften your heart that you may love others the way He loves you.