Likewise, in many endeavors of life, the difference between those who are successful and those not cannot be measured in terms of talent or intelligence, but effort and passion. The person who puts all of his heart and soul into a project leaves nothing undone to accomplish his objective.

There is one and only one instance in the Bible where God is described in similar terms. When a man applies all of his heart and soul to achieve an objective, it is impressive; how much more so when God does it? A man possesses limited resources and abilities to reach the goal, but God has no such limits.

If a man encounters opposition from others to his project, he may or may not be able to overcome that opposition. But if God encounters opposition, there is no doubt about the outcome. And woe to those persons who oppose what God is doing with all his heart and soul!

The sole place in the Bible where God is described in those terms is found in an extended portion about His latter-day blessings to Israel.

"I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. "This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them." (Jeremiah 32:37-42 NIV)

No fervent football coach could approach the level of singular, zealous resolve expressed here. This promise from God describes a process that He alone is determined to accomplish. Notice all of the "I will" declarations. These are indications of personal intent and intense determination, with no prerequisites for action mentioned here. Many important details are listed, but for our purposes, we want to focus in on the one and only place in the Bible where God is said to do something with all his heart and soul.

"I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul." (v 41) Not only is He putting all his effort into this task, He is also deriving great enjoyment from it. And what is He doing? He is planting the Jewish people back in the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We who live in these times have been privileged to witness the development of this planting process.

Like any planting process, there are a sequence of steps. The acquisition of the land, the preparation of the soil, the sowing of seeds, and the careful cultivation take place over a period of time. Since the advent of the Zionist movement in the late 1800s, the steps have been progressing according to plan.

At every step along the way, however, the opposition has been fierce. The Arab peoples, in league with the rest of the nations of the world, have attempted to uproot the newly forming shoots. In what now constitutes the formal boundaries of Israel, the plants have over time become strong and well-established. But in what is the central and key portion of the land, designated by the world as the "West Bank", the fledgling plants are under furious assault. Jewish settlers and settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are reviled by nearly everyone.

While this is a matter of grave concern, it is by no means an indication of potential failure. For if God has said He is planting His people there "with all his heart and soul", there is not the slightest possibility that He will fail in this endeavor.

If He as the strong Farmer spots others attempting to rip out the tender shoots He has planted, will He not be able to forcefully defend His work? The Muslim Arab nations have placed themselves in direct defiance of what the God of Israel is performing with all His heart and soul. How awesome will be the passion with which He defends his pet project! How fierce will be the blow when He swipes the opponents out of the way!

God has said that He is "watching over His word to perform it." This includes every minute detail of every promise in the Scriptures. But the special emphasis and ardor associated with this particular promise, that the Jews would be once again "planted in the land", means that He is taking special care to ensure that it is carried out. A terrifying outcome awaits those who contest God's impassioned and unprecedented work on His special project.