In the rhythm of daily life, our hearts often shift between softness and resistance—between openness to God’s voice and reluctance toward His ways. What softens a heart toward God? And what causes it to harden, dulling spiritual sensitivity and creating distance?
King Josiah’s story offers a compelling picture of a heart that God delights in. Though the nation around him had grown spiritually careless, Josiah sought the Lord with humility. When the Book of the Law was found, his response was immediate and earnest. He said, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me…for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book” (2 Kings 22:13, NKJV). When Josiah heard God’s Word read aloud, Scripture tells us, “the king tore his clothes” (2 Kings 22:11, NKJV).
This outward act reflected an inward awakening. Josiah was confronted by God’s holiness and the seriousness of His Word. He recognized how far the nation had drifted and responded not with excuses or defensiveness, but with reverent grief and a desire to realign his life and leadership with God’s ways.
Reverence for God is not about outward display but inward yielding. A heart that truly reveres Him does not delay obedience or shield itself from conviction; it listens, trembles, and responds. Isaiah reminds us what draws God’s gaze: “But on this one will I look: on him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2, NKJV).
Josiah shows us that reverence softens rather than hardens the heart. God’s Word cut beneath the surface, exposing the true condition of both king and nation—and Josiah allowed it to reshape him. Reverence is seen when we admit where we have ignored God’s voice, allow Scripture to correct us, and choose obedience over convenience.
Pause and Ponder
- What attitudes or experiences soften my heart toward God, inviting His presence and transformation?
- Where might pride, pain, or distractions be hardening my heart and blocking God’s work in me?
- How can I cultivate humility and reverence in my daily walk to keep my heart tender before God?
God desires hearts like Josiah’s—humble, open, and trembling with reverence. Like clay in the Potter’s hands, reverence keeps us soft—moldable, teachable, and ready to be shaped by the living Word of God.
Lord, create in me a humble and contrite heart that pleases You. Soften my resistance, and help me to tremble at Your Word in true reverence. Amen.
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