PrintFrom My Head To My Heart.
What did the Psalmist mean when he said, "I have hidden your word in my heart"? (Psalm 119/11). How does God's Word get to my heart without getting trapped in my head on the way? What is the difference between "head" and "heart" anyway?
These questions have been stirred up as a result of a conversation with a good friend over morning coffee earlier today. His question was simply this, "How do we get God's Word from our heads into our hearts?"
I should have been able to answer that question then and there. After all, I have been a Pastor for close on 40 years!! But the question has repeatedly pushed itself into my thoughts all through this day. But now, I think I have a thought or two that I could share with my friend.
The Word of God in my head relates to what I know. The Word of God in my heart relates to what I do.
The knowledge of God in my head is not a bad thing. In fact, it is indispensable if I am to respond to that knowledge in an accurate, informed and appropriate manner. But the knowledge of God in my heart determines my behaviour.
This brings us back to the original question; how do I get God's Word from my head into my heart? I submit that God's call to Joshua gives us a very helpful clue. I've emboldened the key words that alert us to the answer to our question.
Josh 1:7-8 NIV Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
I find the same emphasis in Jesus' words on the occasion when He washed the disciples' feet. That Upper Room was a powerful classroom as Jesus modeled the humility and role of a true servant.
John 13:13-17 NIV "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Obedience is the means whereby God's Word is transferred from my head to my heart….from mere knowledge to active obedience.
