Jesus said, “Remove the stone…Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
John 11:39-40
Jesus spoke these words at the tomb of Lazarus who had been dead four days. He told the people gathered there to remove the stone from the tomb.
When I read this Scripture recently, the question came to mind: What “stone” needs to be removed from my heart so that I can see the glory of God. The Phillips translation says “so that I can see the wonder of what God can do.” Any “stones” of sin in our heart stand in the way of our ability to see clearly all that God wants to do in our life, our ability to hear His voice. They keep us from experiencing the closeness we can have in a loving relationship with Him. They stand in the way of the blessing that God longs to pour out on us. Here are some examples of “stones” that come to mind:
- Busyness
- Fear
- Unbelief
- Pride
- Rebellion
- Lack of forgiveness
- Lack of trust
- Unhealthy relationships
- Need to be in control
- Self righteousness
- Lack of love
- Judgmental attitudes
- Serving other “gods”
Can you identify with any of these? Can you think of others in your own life? As I was asking God to search my heart and show me anything that needed to be confessed, He brought to mind a long-held lack of forgiveness toward a family member who passed away a long time ago. I thought I had worked through that issue over the years, but I was aware that the unforgiveness was still a problem. I confessed, and asked God to change my heart and help me to release those feelings. I realize how God has forgiven me, and He has made it possible to let go of the negative feelings I have held onto for so long. By God’s grace, I am experiencing a freedom that could not happen with my own effort.
I noticed from the Scripture that removal of the “stone” comes first, then we can see the glory of God more clearly — not the other way around. God will help us remove the sinful “stones” from our heart if we confess and ask Him for forgiveness. The result is cleansing, freedom, peace and joy in a right relationship with the Lord. We will “see the wonder of what God can do.”
Only through the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins can we escape God’s judgment. Once we accept Jesus’ sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sin and place our faith in Him, His blood cleanses us from sin and removes it from us. We can claim God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:26:
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.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
If you have never received God’s gift of salvation through Jesus, it is not too late. You can ask Him to forgive your sins, invite Him to cleanse you and give you a new heart and a new spirit.
Maybe you have been saved already, but you have been living life on your own terms without living a life that is pleasing to God. Listen to Him calling you back and make the choice to follow Him.
What “stones” need to be removed from your heart so that you can more clearly see the glory of God in your life?
Thank you, dear Sherrilyn. Thank you for relaying God’s message from his Word to us. This is a powerful post with a convicting and applicable message. I pray with you for God to reveal the “stones” in my life that keep me from seeing the “glory of God”! Great list you provided, too.
Such a powerful truth!
Thank you again Sherrilyn, I think Satan has a way of digging into our minds keeping old memories cropping up, sin and shortcomings that have been forgiven by our loving God. Those are the “stones” that need to be rolled away.
Thank you Sherrilyn I really love to get these. They help so much during these days.