There is something in us that says, “I choose not to follow God. I choose to go another direction.” A wayward heart, an unbelieving heart, does not take God seriously. It looks at God and says, “Oh, I am not sure if you are really there. I listen to some of what you say, but I’m going to incorporate anything else I think might be helpful.” So, you will wear a cross, a Star of David, a Buddha, a crescent, or anything else you think might be helpful. You mix it all together. The latest psychology is what you follow rather than following God’s word. You mix in superstition. You do not take God seriously.

Isaiah 57:7-8 says: “You have committed adultery on the mountaintops by worshipping idols there, and so you have been unfaithful to me. Behind closed doors, you have set up your idols and worship them instead of me. This is adultery, for you are loving these idols instead of loving me. You have climbed right in bed with these detestable gods.” Do you grasp His anguish? Do you grasp what He is feeling? God views your unfaithfulness not merely as an omission of some religious duty, but as a betrayal. Can you imagine coming home from work and finding your spouse in bed with your neighbor? How would you feel? It is that kind of betrayal He is describing in these verses. They exchanged the one who loved them and had shown them that many times for something cheap and titillating, sensually satisfying. Don’t we do the same thing? We think being unfaithful to God simply means wanting to choose our own way once in a while. We make some poor choices once in a while and suffer the consequences but we are good enough. We are not totally heathen. We are not totally unfaithful. I ask you, husband, wife, would just a little bit of adultery by your spouse be fine with you? God takes our personal relationship with him seriously. He takes it personally. An unbelieving heart is an unfaithful heart.

Isaiah 57:9-11 teaches us that a wayward heart is also an unrepentant heart. Notice the continuous searching for something that will satisfy spiritual perversion. Instead of turning back to God and His provision and righteous ways, these continue to seek out something that they can feel comfortable with. Instead of conforming to God’s standards these seek to find a match according to their own peculiar desires and spiritual tastes. “You have given olive oil and perfume to Molech as your gift. You have traveled far, even into the world of the dead, to find new gods to love. You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on. Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you don’t remember me or think about me? Is it because I have not corrected you that you have no fear of me?” These people kept meeting disappointment in the world, but refused to turn to God for His provision. They refused to repent.

A broken heart treasures God’s grace. It treasures the freedom He gives us. We are not in a shotgun wedding with God. He has chosen to bless us with freedom so that our faithfulness can be voluntary and from the heart. God is gracious to those who rely on His mercy and grace. But His wrath is against those who continue to reject His grace. “Let’s see if your idols can do anything for you when you cry to them for help. They are so helpless that a breath of wind can knock them down (v. 13a)!” Applied to us it might say, “When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you. Let your car and your house and your bank account and your retirement account save you. The wind will carry them off and a mere breath will blow them away. When compared to eternal things they are worthless!”

A godly heart is a confessing heart, a heart that admits brokenness and unworthiness before God. It expresses a willingness to walk with Him. A humble and broken heart will reveal itself by refusing to hide or excuse sin. Paraphrasing David in Psalm 32, “When I refused to admit my sin, I felt dead inside. I was weak and lifeless. Then I exposed my sin to God and He forgave me. He restored my health and my strength.” First John 1:9 says it very clearly, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” A godward heart has to be a confessing heart. It has to say, “Lord, I recognize the disconnect in my life and heart and I do not like it. Lord, there is no point in me saying or trying to hide it because you see it every day. Lord, it is there. I confess it. I admit it. Now Lord, help me to overcome it.”

A godward heart is also a revived heart. Revive means to nourish back to life, to refresh, to bring health and growth where there was once sickness and stagnation. Spiritual vitality replaces spiritual weakness.

And finally, a godward heart is a blessed heart. God wants your spiritual heart to prosper. Prosper may not mean what you think it means. It does not mean a bigger car or house or a bigger bank account, but it does mean spiritual aliveness and gratitude. A blessed heart is a grateful heart that is thankful for God’s grace and provision. Such a heart is at luxury to consider spiritually important issues because he or she is not chasing after all the things the world has to offer—fame, status, wealth to name only three.

If I were a horse I would not want to be a big, strong stallion with a shiny bit and saddle on my back, pushed and pulled around. I want to be an Indian pony. Not jerked around by the head but so sensitive that all the master has to do is just pull a little bit on my mane. He would just lean a little bit to the left, lean a little bit to the right, and I would sense where He wants me to go. Some of you God has to hit on the side of the head with a two-by-four to get you to take one step. God wants to run with you. He says, “I have great places for you to go, great things to show you.” Let your heart be spiritually sensitive to His leading. Listen to His instruction.

Copyright 2004 by Dave Strem