What role does the "stirring of hearts" play in fulfilling God's purposes? The Verse in View Exodus 35:21 — “And everyone whose heart was stirred and whose spirit was willing came and brought the LORD’s offering for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.” God Initiates the Stirring • The verb “was stirred” is passive; the people didn’t work up emotion on their own—God moved them (cf. Ezra 1:5; Haggai 1:14). • This protects the project from being a human agenda. When hearts move, it is evidence that the LORD is actively advancing His purpose (Philippians 2:13). Stirred Hearts Produce Willing Spirits • Notice the pairing: “heart was stirred” ➔ “spirit was willing.” Internal awakening precedes external obedience. • Willingness expresses itself in freewill offerings rather than coerced service (2 Corinthians 9:7). • A stirred heart is the channel through which God transforms desire into joyful action. Stirring Mobilizes Resources for God’s Work • The Tabernacle required gold, silver, talent, and skill. None of it arrived by chance; it flowed out of stirred hearts. • Later parallels: the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 1:6–7) and the walls (Nehemiah 2:18). When God plans a work, He funds it by first touching hearts. Unity Through Shared Stirring • “Everyone” whose heart was stirred came—men and women, leaders and artisans (Exodus 35:26; 36:2). • Individual promptings converged into a corporate movement, knitting disparate tribes into one worshiping nation (Ephesians 4:16). Display of Covenant Faithfulness • The ex-slaves who once built Pharaoh’s store-cities now build a dwelling for their Redeemer—proof that God keeps His promises (Exodus 6:6–8). • The stirring signals that the covenant community is alive and responsive, a living reply to God’s grace (Psalm 110:3). Practical Takeaways • Ask God to stir, not merely to bless plans already made. His initiatives carry His power. • Discern the difference between emotional hype and genuine stirring; the latter results in sacrificial, enduring obedience. • Expect God to move multiple hearts simultaneously when He is paving the way for a shared mission. • Celebrate and steward resources that appear after hearts begin to move; they are entrusted for a divine assignment (1 Chronicles 29:14). • Remember that when God stirs His people, His purposes never stall—He completes what He starts (Philippians 1:6). |
    |