I recently Googled, out of curiosity, “What is the hardest substance on earth?” Most of the results were about a substance called graphene, which is stronger than diamonds yet amazingly flexible. One scientist postulates we will eventually be able to use graphene to create a television screen that can be rolled up like a poster and yet completely damage proof. But my favorite search result was from a message board where someone had an even better answer. Under the topic of “What is the hardest substance on earth?” this clever person replied, “My boss’s head.”
There’s a lot of truth in that. Diamonds are hard. Graphene is apparently even stronger. But nothing on earth is as unbreakable as the hardness of the human heart in its commitment to its own will. We are a stubborn race, and we are more stubborn about our sin than anything else. But just as a laser can be used to cut diamonds and graphene, there is one single tool that can effectively and powerfully break through the hardest of human hearts – the Word of God.
Jeremiah was a prophet, a spokesman for God who often thundered a ‘thus saith the Lord’ in the face of the social and moral evils of his day. His one and only tool was God’s Word – God’s revelation of Himself through Jeremiah’s prophetic voice. And one of the more important things Jeremiah told the world about God’s Word was this…
“Does not my word burn like fire?” says the Lord. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?” – Jeremiah 23:29 NLT
When you find yourself praying for that one person who is most resistant to God’s truth, trust the potential of the Word of God to do its work. The gospel message has managed to melt some of the hardest hearts in history. It smashes our stubbornness to pieces. In fact, I personally need to read God’s Word every day just to cut through the crusty mess on the exterior of my own heart.
