My grandson is at that endearing stage where he is convinced that he can hide from me by simply covering his eyes. If he can’t see me, it must mean that I can’t see him, right? And so when he wants to be silly, he hides his face. And I, of course, play my part. “Where’s Finn? Where did he go? (Gasp!) There he is!” It’s great fun for both of us.
As I was praying this morning, my thoughts turned to an individual who has been in my prayers for many years. She continues to make it clear that she has no interest in turning to the Lord in repentance and faith. She has heard the gospel and has knowingly rejected it, and as the years have gone by, she has grown increasingly hardened in her sin. In different ways, that hardness is now etched not only on her soul but also on her body. She uses what she wears, how she looks, and even how she holds herself to show that she has turned away.
As I prayed, I considered the hardness of her heart and asked the Lord to use whatever circumstances he deems suitable to soften it. I experienced a momentary flicker of doubt that the Lord could do such a thing when she has spent so many years running from him at full tilt. But then I found myself almost laughing at the thought that anybody could harden herself beyond the Lord’s ability to reach her.
What is the hardness of a human heart to God? What kind of obstacle does it present? What degree of challenge? It’s like a little child trying to hide from his parents by putting his hands in front of his eyes. It’s like a sand wall trying to hold back the tide or a guardrail made of glass trying to stop a runaway truck. It’s the very picture of futility and the very definition of impotence. A human being can no more withstand the will of God than you or I can keep night from turning to day or winter from fading into summer. “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,” says God (Isaiah 46:10). And if that purpose involves the salvation of this woman, who is she to resist? Who is she to defy? Who is she to reject the will of God?
Their defiance can never hinder, thwart, or override the will of God.
So as we pray for those who are lost, and even those who know their own lostness and revel in it, we can always have confidence that their defiance can never hinder, thwart, or override the will of God. He can save them every bit as much as he saved you or me. Should he have set his love on them and should he extend his call, it may surprise them, but it should not surprise us, to see their hearts melt, their affections change, and their entire lives be redirected toward him and his purposes. For no human being, no matter how hardened in their sin, can resist when God beckons, stay still when God says to come, or say “no” when God says “yes.”
