Ezekiel 36:24–28 // New hearts, new Spirit // Chris Warszawski
I remember visiting a friend in the hospital years ago, just before he underwent heart surgery. As we talked and prayed together, his surgeon came into the room to explain the procedure to him and his family. What struck me most in that moment was the sense of humility and gratitude that filled the room. Everyone knew the same thing: only this surgeon could do what my friend could not do for himself.
Without the surgeon, my friend’s troubled heart would remain unchanged. His health would not be restored. He would not be able to go home. His hope rested entirely in someone else’s skill, knowledge, and care.
That image helps us enter into the promises God makes in Ezekiel 36.
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God speaks to the people of Israel at one of the lowest points in their history. The people who once lived in the land God gave them had been defeated, exiled, and scattered among the nations. They were there because they had rebelled against God—turning to idols, growing violent, defiling the land, and even bringing dishonor to God’s name among the surrounding nations.
And yet, though the people had abandoned God, God had not abandoned them.
God explains that their exile was not meant to destroy them, but to discipline and ultimately restore them. In Ezekiel 36, He promises to do for His people what they could never do for themselves.
God promises to gather them from the nations and bring them back into their own land. In the ancient world, a people separated from their land often appeared abandoned by their god. But the Lord makes it clear: He has not lost sight of them. He does not say, “Find your way back to me.” Instead, He says He will come for them. He will gather them. He will restore them.
God promises to cleanse them. He does not say, “Make yourselves clean and then return.” He says, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean.” Forgiveness is God’s work before it ever becomes our experience.
God promises to give them a new heart—to remove their heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. Forgiveness alone is not enough; transformation is needed. Just as my friend could not operate on his own heart, we cannot change the condition of ours. Only the Great Surgeon can do that work. Only God can soften what has grown hard and reshape our desires and affections.
God promises to give them a new spirit—His Spirit—so that they can live in obedience, not through sheer willpower, but through divine empowerment. What they could not sustain on their own, God would now supply from within.
Finally, God promises relationship: “You shall be my people, and I will be your God.” It’s easy to become focused on the gifts God gives—healing, restoration, security—while forgetting that God Himself is the gift. In Him alone our souls find rest. As Augustine once wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
Israel walked away from God, just as we all have in one way or another. But God did not walk away from them—or from us. Instead, He pursued reconciliation. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Through Jesus, God has done everything necessary to find, forgive, cleanse, transform, and restore His people.
These promises find their fulfillment in Christ. And one day, God will gather His people from every nation and bring them into the place He has prepared. There, at last, we will be fully His—and He will be our God—forever.
Question to Consider
Which of God’s promises do you find yourself needing to cling to today?
Prayer Prompt
Transformation is an ongoing work. Ask God to reveal an area of your heart—an attitude, motivation, or affection—that needs His healing touch. Invite Him to do the work only He can do.
