Connecting to God’s Own Heart
God’s Heart
Open your heart to the verses we read together from God’s Word. Opening your heart to God’s Word is a beautiful, life-altering experience. His Word reveals the very heart and character of God to us. God’s Word is His heart. As we read it and reflect upon it, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and guides us according to His perfect will for our lives.
Hearts Together Women is all about pursuing Jesus. We believe that as we pursue Jesus together, the atmosphere around us changes. Truly the atmosphere of our everyday lives will change as we invite Jesus into them. For some, the question may be, “Where do we begin?” How do we pursue Jesus in a life-changing manner? The key is finding our way into His presence and connecting to His heart daily. Let’s look at what we see in Scripture and talk about how we can do just that.
Throughout the Old Testament, we witnessed God’s prophets urging people to turn from their idols to worship the one true God. Their idols were made of earthly substances. They did not and could not see, hear or speak. Yet, people worshipped these non-communicative gods with fervor, while rejecting the one true God, who saw them, heard them, loved them, and spoke to them. It may seem ridiculous to us today to think of people who bowed down to metal statues hoping for fulfillment; but if we are honest, we aren’t so different from them.
Don’t we too, in fact, put earthly things in a place of precedence over God? Don’t we also pursue idols that have little to offer us - prioritizing empty pursuits, chasing after material possessions - while shelving the God who supplies everything we need? We put Him off for a more convenient time, while we attempt to fill up on vacuous things that will never satisfy.
Yet, all the while, He sees us; He hears us; He loves us; and He truly desires to speak to us.
Is it possible some of us give Him a lowly position in our lives because we don’t know how to hear Him? Maybe we believe and even pray but don’t sense His activity in our daily lives. Maybe we experience our faith in Him on an intellectual level but not on a heart level.
The truth is God has always spoken to His people. God, by His very nature, is self-disclosing. He is a speaking God. It is His desire to communicate with us.
Our history is marked and distinguished by God Himself coming down into the everyday lives of those He created in His image, bringing light to the darkness and pursuing us in creative ways, always in perfect love. In this regard, our minds may immediately go to God’s direct verbal communication with heroes of the faith like Moses. For sure, we all remember the burning bush and the thundering voice on the mountain. (To be real - there’s a movie about it!)
Throughout Scripture, God has also spoken to His people through dreams, visions, and prophetic words. However, once Jesus came to earth, God’s communication with us, His people - His speaking - reached a profoundly elevated level.
Hebrews 1:1-2 says,
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…”
Surely, the incarnation of Jesus Christ - God putting on flesh - is the most remarkable way in which God has disclosed Himself to humankind. There is no greater revelation of God than Jesus coming to earth, living among His people, teaching them, discipling them, and saving them through His cross and resurrection. The incarnation is the fullest standard by which God communicates - person to person. The first chapter of John’s gospel tells us that Jesus is, in fact, the Word made flesh.
John 1:14:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus - the entirety of Scripture, all of which points to Him; His teachings and His life, especially God’s revelation of redemption through Him - the sum total of everything Jesus is - is the speaking of God, and it is by His speech that God relates personally to His people. Jesus is not merely God’s messenger; He is God’s message. The most authoritative declaration of God is Jesus.
Since the time of Jesus’ (the Living Word’s) ascension, in the absence of His physical presence on the earth, the Bible (the written Word) is, and will continue to be until His return, the uttermost authoritative speaking of God.
The Word of God is divine self-expression and divine speech. It is breathed out by God; it’s put forth by His divine breath and goes out from His mouth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Isaiah 55: 10-11:
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
In a sort of seamless yet mysterious interconnection with the incarnation of Jesus (when the Word became flesh), the written Word serves as the revelation of God to us, always pointing us to Jesus. While we await His return, His Word stands in all authority as the prominent declaration of God to humankind. The Bible, God’s Word, is one of God’s most powerful means of communicating with His people. His Word is how we connect to God’s heart and hear from this God who speaks.
God’s Word is His heart. His Word is relational. As we read it and hear it, God speaks to us. If we desire to hear from Him and connect to His heart, we must develop a habit of engaging with His Word.
Colossians 3:16:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
Share Your Heart
Consider the following discussion starters as you share your hearts with one another:
What are some things or pursuits we as human beings tend to prioritize over our relationship with the Lord?
As Christians, it may seem comfortable and logical for us to speak to God through prayer. Does it seem as comfortable and logical to you to think of God as one who speaks to us, His people, even today?
Have you experienced the speaking of God in your own personal life? If so, share how He speaks to you.
Many of us hear the Word of God read to us at church, which is wonderful. Do you ever read it for yourself? Share with one another how you pursue time in God’s Word and resources you use to help you engage with His Word.
The Cries of Your Heart
At Hearts Together Women, we believe that the Lord hears the cries of our hearts.
We also believe in prayer partnership because God’s Word teaches us that partnering with one another in prayer is powerful.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
And Jesus encourages us, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there” (Matthew 18:19-20, The Message).
What amazing promises!
Here is how prayer partnership works at a Hearts Together Gathering:
After we share in the Word and discussion, your facilitator will ask each woman for her prayer requests. All you need to do is share your own requests - the cries of your heart - because we all have them.
We encourage you to request prayer for 1) your own needs; 2) the needs of your family and loved ones; and 3) the needs you see around you - in the workplace, the school, the neighborhood or even the nation.
After the requests are shared, your gathering facilitator will lead in a prayer for the needs that were put forth.
In the following days, we encourage you to pray for the requests of the other women in your gathering. They will do the same for you. That’s what prayer partnership is all about!
As we unite in prayer, we trust the Lord will meet with us, dwell among us and answer us in accordance with His perfect will.
Your Heart to His
Maybe you felt the Holy Spirit stirring something in your heart during this gathering. It doesn’t have to end here. Take it home. In the followings days, continue to pursue Him. Spend some time alone and quiet, away from the noise of life - just you and Jesus.
Tell Him the cries of your heart. He is listening; He cares, and He does answer. Praying is kind of like having a conversation with your best friend. He created you, so He already knows everything about you. He just wants to be with you.
After you pray, reread the Scriptures and thoughts under God’s Heart. Reflect upon the verses and how they speak to you and your life.
Here are some things you might contemplate and pray about:
Spend time reflecting upon the place the Lord has in your day, your week, and your life. Think about the empty things that grip you and steal your hours. How do these compare to the God who sees you, hears you, loves you with a depth of love you can hardly fathom, and truly desires to speak to you? Read a few chapters in the Gospel of John and open your heart to what the Lord has to say to you.
This is just between you and Jesus - your heart to His. Make space in your busy days to spend some time with Him.
