Today is June 6.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from Ezekiel 11.


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. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.


That’s quite a picture: God removing a heart of stone, and replacing with a heart of flesh. Can you meditate quietly for a moment and hold a picture of each sort of heart in your mind? Can you consider: what’s the condition of your heart today as we enter into prayer?

I once heard someone say that we like to think we can build picket fences around our hearts: to let some things IN, and keep other things OUT. But, they said, we can’t do that. We either keep our hearts soft to all, or they become hard to all – not like a picket fence, but like a concrete barrier. Sometimes, our hearts grow hard from good use. They become spiritually calloused, as it were. Listen again, and listen for the invitation of God.

We used to pray for our children, when they were young, to be soft-hearted and thick-skinned. A soft heart sees beauty in the world, it allows for vulnerability and tenderness, it invites communion. A hard heart is often cynical, walled-off, judgmental, and in pain. End today's prayer by getting curious about the condition of your heart. If you don’t feel self-aware, perhaps ask a good friend, a close colleague, or a family member like your kids how they are experiencing you right now. Give them permission to speak honestly, and do the work of listening in humility.

Music: I Will Hold On - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)