His Word is His 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.
We have learned that the best way to develop a relationship with the Lord is to engage His Word. As one of the greatest forms of God’s revelation of Himself - of His self-disclosure to man - the Word of God speaks to us out of God’s own mouth. Because it is spoken from His very mouth, God’s Word is authoritative, infallible, and eternal. Those are weighty things that should be taken seriously. His Word speaks important things into our lives, but we must remember that it is also relational. His Word is His Heart. It is how we get to know Him. Through His Word, God reveals His heart to us.
Jesus tells us in Scripture that the Word of God is far more than merely true. In John 17:17, we learn from Jesus that God’s Word is truth. The Word of God isn’t described as true, but it is, in fact, truth itself. Jesus implores of the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth,” and then clarifies, “your word is truth.” Thus, we see that God’s Word is the standard. It is the embodiment of truth. It is against this Holy Word of God that we are to measure all other things for truth.
We also learn from Scripture that the Word of God brings freedom.
John 8:31-32
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Considering that the Word is truth, brings more clarity to our understanding of John 8:31-32. We have often reduced these powerful verses to a cliche in modern society, taking it out of context, saying “the truth will set you free,” regarding things that are true as opposed to being false. Of course, there is always more freedom in true things than in lies. However, v. 32 in the context of v. 31 takes on a far deeper meaning, especially when we clarify the meaning further against others Scriptures, like John 17:17.
God’s Word is truth, and when we abide in it, we are truly set free. To abide in the Word means to remain and to continue in it - basically, to stay there. We must make this Word an integral part of our daily lives.
There is only one way to know the truth, and that is to get into His Word and then to continue in it. We won’t know the truth unless we know His Word. We won’t know His Word until we start reading it. Once we do that, the freedom begins to come.
We may wonder at the idea of being set free by reading the Bible. When we speak of the Word being breathed out by God and coming forth from His very mouth, we don’t speak of this as a work of the past. It is very much presently active and will continue to be into eternity.
We learn in Hebrews 4:12 and in 1 Peter 1: 22-25 that God’s Word is living, abiding and active, and that it remains forever.
Hebrews 4:12:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
1 Peter 1: 22-25:
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
In Isaiah 55:10-11, we see that as it proceeds from God’s mouth, it goes forth to accomplish the purposes of God and will succeed in the thing for which He sends it.
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.
He says it won’t return to Him empty. So as we read the Bible, its very words, breathed out from the mouth of God are alive and active, working to accomplish the very purposes of God in our lives. 1 Peter 2:2 tells us that we should long for the Word, which Peter refers to as pure spiritual milk.
1 Peter 2: 2-3:
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Just like a newborn infant longs for milk in order to grow physically, we should long for the Word, that it may work in us and through us, growing us up spiritually in the things of God.
We serve a God who speaks. He sees us. He hears us. He loves us with a depth of love that our human minds cannot begin to comprehend, but He also speaks to us.
He spoke in the most powerful way when He sent Jesus to earth to save us, but He continues to speak to us through His Word, as often as we engage with it. His Word is truly His heart.
In Conclusion, in the simplest terms: if any one of us sincerely desires to connect with Him on a heart level, His Word is the place to be.
Share Your Heart
Consider the following discussion starters as you share your hearts with one another:
God’s Word is breathed out of His mouth, and is truth. How do you feel about defining God’s Word as truth - not just as something described as true, but as something that embodies truth - the standard against which we measure all things? Does it change your understanding of the definition of truth?
Do you believe God’s Word, the truth, can set you free?
The key to being set free, according to Scripture, is abiding in God’s Word. Do you think this is true?
How can you make an effort to abide in God’s Word in your daily life?
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:
Consider whether God’s Word has a rightful place in your life? If it doesn’t, prayerfully contemplate making space for it. Think about a time and place for spending time in the Word. What changes will you need to make?
This is just between you and Jesus - your heart to His. Make space in your busy days to spend some time with Him.
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Do you have a Bible? If not, there are many digital options - Bible apps, etc. We suggest starting with John’s Gospel.
