Ezekiel 36:26 says, “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.” (ESV)

There are two kinds of hearts described here: one made of stone and one made of flesh. The heart of stone is hard, cold, rigid, unfeeling. This heart is unable to repent; in fact, it can’t even see the need to repent. It cannot love God, and it has no desire to please him. Like a rock, it is incapable of seeing itself and its need for a Saviour. It does nothing, and it certainly can’t choose to soften or change on its own.

The second heart is a complete contrast to the first. It is soft, warm, pliable and full of feeling; it sees the need for change and recognizes that it cannot change on its own. It understands it needs to repent and needs a Saviour. This heart can feel, hurt and be broken. It can love, and it does; it loves God and the Word and desires to be regenerated. This is the heart that has turned from stone to flesh.

It all comes down to a work of God’s grace.We come with the first type of heart, and only a miracle of grace can change it to the second kind; only God can take the stone and make it flesh. Only he can make us new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through the work of Christ, our new hearts are renewed and have a new purpose, with new affections and desires, new delights and new sorrows.

This verse is foundational to TWR Women of Hope. It highlights the essence of the gospel message: our need for a new heart that only the Saviour provides. Thank you for praying with us as we share this message that allows women to experience a life-saving heart change.