The Tenderized Heart

“God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me.” —Job 23:16

God doesn’t bless hard-hearted people.  God uses people with a soft heart… a pliable heart… a tender heart.  David said, “my heart is like wax; it is melted…” (Ps. 22:14). “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart” (Ps. 34:18). “…a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:17).

How does God soften our heart so He can use us?  Job answers in our text—By troubling us.  If anyone knew about trouble, it was Job. He had financial troubles (Job 1:9-17). He had the trouble of death in his family (1:18-22). He had trouble with disease in his flesh (2:4-10). He even had trouble from his so-called friends (19:14-19).

Job must have had a very tender heart.

Think of how you tenderize a piece of meat? You pound on it. Trouble, adversity, trials, suffering all will make your heart soft, if you don’t turn away from God during those times.

It isn’t because God doesn’t love you that He allows trouble in your life. On the contrary, He loves you enough to make your heart soft. He is not trying to hurt you—He is softening you so you can be tenderhearted towards others (see Heb. 2:18).