Stubborn

 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
Psalm 81:12 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.81.12.ESV

This might seem a strange verse initially. Shouldn't God be trying to remove stubborn hearts and replacing them with compliant ones? Shouldn't God be persuading people to follow His own counsels, not their own?

The truth is that God is sovereign. He's not helplessly wringing His hands when we stubbornly go our own way. He leaves us to our own devices.

If we humbly return to the Lord, He will welcome us with open arms. Yet He's not a dictator. He respects our decisions. If we want to go our own way, He's not going to stop us.

This is actually a scary verse. We might think it seems great that we can do what we like and God won't stop us. Yet for Him to give up on us is the worst fate we could face.

'God, forbid that we should be given over to stubbornness and arrogance of heart. Please humble us and bring us back to You, in Christ's name, amen'

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