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WORD AMONG US WAU.ORG Reflections
Daily Meditation: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Oh, that today you would hear his voice: “Harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95:7-8))
Have you ever tried to mold a pot out of clay? Once it dries, clay is nearly impossible to work with. If you let it harden, you can’t reshape it. Just as a potter needs soft clay, so our Lord needs soft hearts that he can shape into vessels of his grace and power.
Today the psalmist calls God’s people to “kneel before the Lord who made us” (Psalm 95:6). Through his word, he wants to form his people into a beautiful dwelling for his Spirit. That’s why he speaks through his prophets like Moses and Ezekiel, the “watchman” in our first reading (Ezekiel 33:7). He forms us through the Church and through our brothers and sisters in Christ. And he molds us through the voice of his Spirit in our hearts. That’s why it’s important to heed the psalmist and “harden not your hearts” (95:8)!
The problem is that sin tends to harden our hearts. It makes us less pliable and less responsive to God and limits his ability to mold and shape us. So he gave us his Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, so that we would turn back to him (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit softens our hearts and fills us with hope that we can change.
What does a pliable heart, open to the Spirit, look like? Above all, it is humble before God and wants to please him by becoming his instrument in the world. A pliable heart recognizes the destructive power of sin and longs to repent and be set free. A pliable heart is peaceful because it receives God’s love and trusts that God will never hurt or abandon it.
Let’s cooperate with the Holy Spirit today. Imagine that you are a piece of clay being shaped by God’s loving hands. Picture him molding you; let him show you any rough spots that need extra attention. Yield to him, and let him smooth them out. You—and everyone around you—will be amazed at what God can do in you.
“Lord Jesus, give me a soft, pliable heart. Mold me into who you created me to be.”
