A New Heart in Christ
Today's Scripture
Ezekiel 11:14-21
Today's Insights
Just prior to today's reading from Ezekiel 11, the prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of God's glory. He looked on the throne of God in the holy of holies (10:1) and saw "the glory of the Lord" rise and move (10:4). We see the movement of God's glory from His inner sanctuary in the temple to its threshold and then from the threshold out into the city (10:4, 18). Finally, the glory of God left the city by the eastern gate (10:19).
Ezekiel's vision shows something the exiled Israelites may not have at first realized: their God went with them. He followed on the same road they traveled, which is why Ezekiel says, "I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone" (11:16).
Today's Devotional
Brock and Dennis were childhood friends, but as they grew up, Brock showed little interest in Dennis' faith in Jesus. Dennis loved his friend and prayed for him because he knew the path he was going down was dark and depressing. In praying for Brock, Dennis adapted the words of the prophet Ezekiel: "Please God, remove from Brock a heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh" (see Ezekiel 11:19). He longed that Brock would walk in God's way so he would flourish.
Ten years later, Dennis was still praying faithfully. Then he received a call from Brock: "I just gave my life to Jesus!" Dennis rejoiced, tears brimming, to hear his friend exclaim that he'd finally come to the end of himself and trusted God with his life.
In his prayers, Dennis focused on God's promises to His people through Ezekiel. Although they'd turned from God with detestable practices, He said He would change their hearts: "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (11:19). With changed hearts, they would follow their God faithfully (11:20).
No matter how far we've turned from God, He delights to give us warm and loving hearts. We need only to turn to Him with faith and repentance as we trust in Jesus to save us from our sins.
Prophetic Significance
Ezekiel's vision of heart transformation carries profound prophetic implications that extend far beyond his immediate audience. This promise of a "heart of flesh" represents one of the Bible's most significant prophetic threads—the coming of a new covenant that would fundamentally change humanity's relationship with God.
The heart transformation promised in Ezekiel 11:19 is echoed and expanded in Ezekiel 36:26-27: "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. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees." This prophecy points forward to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—God's empowering presence that would enable genuine obedience from the inside out.
Jeremiah articulated this same prophetic reality: "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33). Both prophets foresaw a time when God's law would no longer be merely external but internally inscribed.
Jesus inaugurated this new covenant at the Last Supper when He declared, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). The heart transformation Ezekiel promised finds its fulfillment in Christ's redemptive work and the subsequent gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Paul understood this prophetic fulfillment when he wrote to the Corinthians: "You show that you are a letter from Christ...written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:3). The contrast between stone and flesh that Ezekiel prophesied became, for Paul, the distinguishing feature between the old and new covenants.
This heart transformation also anticipates the complete spiritual renewal that will accompany Christ's return. What begins in this life as a genuine but incomplete transformation will reach its consummation when "we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). The prophetic promise of Ezekiel points ultimately to glorification—when our hearts will be perfectly attuned to God's will.
Perhaps most profoundly, Ezekiel's prophecy reveals God's unchanging redemptive purpose. Even in exile, even amid judgment, God was working toward restoration. The heart of stone wasn't the end of the story—it was merely the backdrop against which God's transforming grace would be displayed. This offers powerful hope for those we pray for today who seem furthest from God. The same divine power that transformed hearts in Ezekiel's day continues to work miracles of regeneration in our time.
Reflect & Pray
How have you experienced God melting any stubbornness or coldness within? How can you pray specifically for a friend today using Ezekiel's promise as your guide?
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise to transform hearts of stone into hearts that beat with love for You. I praise You for the miracle You've worked in my own life, replacing resistance with receptivity to Your Spirit. Today I lift up those whose hearts remain hardened—especially ________. Work Your miracle of regeneration in their lives. Remove the heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh that delights in Your ways. In Jesus' name, Amen.