I Samuel 10:26, “Saul gathered together valiant men whose hearts God had touched.”
Just think of it – God touching the hearts of men! It’s a bit staggering, actually. His personal touch to mankind is sacred and sweet and intimate. What are some implications of His touch?
Well…we LOSE anxiety, bitterness, fear, hopelessness and GAIN love, contentment, hope and peace, plus a lot more. Another big gain is eternal perspective. We no longer live for NOW only, but we receive a pair of forever eyes – the reality that we can live for eternity.
Hearts touched by God know that the eternal is more important than the temporal – that spiritual eclipses physical and that people trump things.
But, God’s touch is a two-way street. We cry out, “touch me, cleanse me, break me, straighten me out.” God responds through the Holy Spirit and then it is left to us to RESPOND.
The touch of our Master always leaves us changed. We respond to His shaping fingertips or we harden ourselves against His touch.
The valiant men in I Samuel RESPONDED to God’s touch. How? “They went with him.” They obeyed the influence of God’s touch and stood by Saul in a quite pivotal time in Israel. Ah, yes…obedience.
To KNOW what God says and to OBEY His word? Well, they can be a universe apart. Hearts touched by the Potter must be malleable, meaning capable of being altered or controlled by outside influence.
When that “outside influence” is God, we want our hearts tender to receive His reaction and hearts courageous to obey and STAND, even in tempestuous circumstances.
So, what does my heart monitor reveal? Is my heart open to Him? Is it like soft wax to receive His touch and is it valiant and eager to obey His direction?
Ezekiel 36:26, “And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. And, I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
By Vickie Richey
Christ Fellowship