Daily Devotional

Creating a New Heart

Wednesday, May 1, 2024
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Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. . . . Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps. 51:7-10, NIV.

Twice I had gone to the emergency room to treat a pulse rate of more than 160 beats per minute that had lasted several hours each time. Each time it took intravenous medications to slow the too-rapid rate. Treating my problem required careful monitoring and other specific medications and emergency equipment. The cardiologist said it could be cured. The treatment was a procedure called ablation.

In just a few days my doctor had me scheduled for the ablation. I checked in at the hospital early in the morning. Two physicians, a nurse, and a technician attended me.

They threaded four electrodes into the large vein of my groin that carries blood to the right atrium of my heart. One electrode went into my jugular vein and on into my right atrium. One cardiologist manipulated the five electrodes while the other cardiologist, with the aid of a computer, monitored my heart’s reaction as the electrodes searched the inner surface of the heart chamber for the misfiring circuit of my heart. Once the team located the culprit, the technician with a second computer applied heat to burn out unwanted tissue.

As the technician applied the heat, I felt a very warm sensation in the area I thought my heart occupied. The warm heart made me feel good all over. The team did the burnout of unwanted cardiac tissue two more times. Each time I savored the warm glow. I wanted to keep that wonderful warm feeling forever. In five and a half hours they had completed the procedure, and the cardiologist gave me the good news. I would not need a pacemaker.

What about the sin in my heart? To remove it will not need two physicians, one nurse, a technician, and two computers with monitors and five electrodes. Only Jesus. He is the creator of clean hearts—instantly, as soon as you invite Him in.

Jesus doesn’t take five and a half hours, nor is scheduling necessary. Simply invite Him in. The warm glow of His presence is a warmth that never goes away.

O God, create in me a clean heart. May I feel the healing presence of Your Spirit! May Jesus’ love fill my soul this day and every day. Amen.


Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.


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