Amos 9:15
I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God.
Throughout the book of Amos, God’s wrath is explained extensively as He destroys lands and people because of their sin and unwillingness to leave it. It is a righteous anger, born out of love, because they are just not listening. He has given them countless chances and they continue to do what they want.
After all of this destruction, God ends by promising new land to Israel; land that will never be taken away. He promises security.
This reminds me of our lives.
As we turn our lives over to God, He does everything He can to uproot all the sin, brokenness and deep, dark places in our heart. He despises sin and all works of the devil so He helps us (graciously) to clean out all the junk.
I just envision a pumpkin. In order to use it for carving, cooking or just seasonal decoration, we must clean out all of the seeds and slimy pulp. I see our sin and brokenness as this slimy pulp.
In order for us to have the life God has intended, we must go through the process of letting Him clean and purify our hearts. This is often painful, like pulling a scab off of a wound, revealing raw skin. But in order for God to be able to lay His healing hand on the wound, we have to trust Him with our tender places. We must let Him into all of those places.
We must be vulnerable.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
The heart is mentioned many times throughout scripture. I think it is because what is in our hearts is what motivates our speech, behaviors, actions and thoughts. God is Love. Love comes from the heart. So it is so beautiful that He uses our hearts to remind us that what we hold in our hearts is important. It has value and it carries weight on what the outpouring of our lives will be.
My hope for this adventure on the World Race is not just to travel to 11 countries in 11 months. It is to serve the people in each community who have never known the love of God. Who have never heard the name of Jesus. Who have these slimy spots in their hearts that are covered by temporary bandages. I want to reveal truth and love to them in a way that allows them to let go of the temporary things they have found to make them “feel better” and encounter the One who is capable of completely healing their wounds.
I want to take what I have learned and experienced and encourage them that it is worth the temporary pain of ripping off a scab in order to receive full healing.
I know that throughout this journey, not only will I be loving others and showing them the love they can embrace through Christ… I know God is going to continue to peel away layers of my heart that are temporarily bandaged. He is going to touch new places that I may not even realize are there. I expect to encounter His mighty presence in a new way and experience new levels of healing and freedom!
He already promised to make our hearts clean.
You just have to be willing to offer it up to Him.
