How's Your Heart?

Midweek Meditation with Pastor Edith
January 14, 2026
Ezekiel 36:26

Many of you reading this today probably remember that my husband had open heart surgery in September of last year. It was a shock to us that he had such a blockage that he required artery repair and a new valve. I’m remembering this because our verse today talks about the new heart that God gives his people who choose to trust and obey Him; “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”.

In the original context, the prophet is speaking what God has told him to tell the people who have been taken captive into exile to Babylon. They have been removed from all that is familiar to them. Their identity has been taken, and new names given. They are forbidden to worship the one true God and told there are many gods they can worship in their current situation. While praying through this “Holy Reading” I reflected on how Christians are strangers in a foreign land too. You’ve heard it said many times; “This world is not our home, we are just traveling through”. True, our home is heaven, but for now God has placed us here for His purpose and to do His will to bring the lost into the reality of God’s love for all.

Two quotes have been given me today concerning matters of the heart. One is from Bishop Fulton Sheen; “Nothing ever happens in the world that does not happen first in human hearts” (“The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen-365 days of inspiration” pg. #9). This gives me pause to spend a bit more time thinking about what I am thinking about. The second quote comes from Beth Moore; “God does not insist on our forgiving others for the sake of that person alone, but for peace in our own lives” (“Praying God’s Word Day by Day” pg. #15).

Perhaps one of the greatest ways we demonstrate the love of God, and the heart of God, is the way we choose to forgive others. From my own experience, I find that going to God first in prayer before attempting to forgive someone else, usually clues me in to something for which I need to be forgiven. There really are no shortcuts to true Discipleship with the Lord, it takes commitment to commune with Him daily in His Word and in prayer so that we are better equipped to make a difference in this foreign land we call earth.

May the Lord heal your heart so that you may be, perhaps, a wounded healer for someone else today.

AMEN and Pray on!