A Barrier to Hearing God is a Hardened Heart

A Barrier to Hearing God is a Hardened Heart

When we think of a hardened heart, we think hard, impliable, and impossible to get through to. We think of someone who is mean and stubborn, but someone with a hardened heart may not always manifest it in a big way. Someone with a hardened heart could show it in what one of my former pastors used to call silent rebellion.

Silent rebellion is simply following our own way without making a big fuss. Jonah was one who had a hardened heart. He was one who sought his own way despite knowing the instruction of the Lord. Clearly, he had his own agenda that he wanted to see done instead of God’s will. Some say that the Ninevites were arch enemies to Israel who were very violent to the point of skinning Israelites alive. Nahum 3:1-4 warns of the utter violence and lawlessness of Nineveh.

Nineveh was the land that Jonah was told by God to preach to when Jonah intentionally went in the opposite direction. He did this because he allowed his heart to become hard, stuck, and set on his way in spite of what God said.

I think we can all allow our hearts to become hardened at times when it comes to making life decisions. We all can exalt our opinion above others including God’s voice. This is why God warns in his Word not to harden our hearts when God speaks.

As it has been said: “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” – Hebrews 3:15

It’s sort of embarrassing to admit that we at times can have hardened hearts that cause us to rebel against God’s voice, but it’s reality. It’s a part of man’s proneness to stray away from God. However, being aware of this proneness to stray; urges us to humble ourselves and ask God for grace in this area. His grace will cause us to trust him more and to respond in faith and obedience toward his voice instead of hardness and rebellion. 

Even I’ve been guilty of this. When I renewed my car insurance for liability only, instead of full coverage, when the Lord told me to add full coverage. Part of the reason, I did not add the full coverage was because I was comfortable with doing it my way instead of allowing myself to be pliable to do it God’s way. I thought my way was more cost-effective, but in the end, God’s way was.

In what ways could God be speaking to you that you are ignoring in hardness or stubbornness of heart?