LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Not the Mind, but the Heart
"But behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart" (Hosea 2:14).
God's message is always addressed to the heart, for the heart is the center of man's spiritual life. Joseph spoke to the heart of his brothers and comforted them when they were afflicted, fearing retaliation (Gen. 50:21). Paul spoke to the heart of his hearers; therefore, they were moved and attracted by his word (Acts 16:14). The Lord himself, in his tenderness for his rebellious people, decided to lead them into the wilderness, and there to speak to their hearts (Hos. 2:14).
However, those who speak on behalf of God do not always address their message to the heart; they do not always recognize that man's greatest problem is in his heart, not in his mind. The greatest chasm that the prophet of God has to fill is the heart of man.
Preachers abound who speak a message for the mind; a message that may well arouse admiration for the gifts exhibited or for the erudition shown, but that does not satisfy the spiritual hunger. Those are dry preachers, without the Spirit, who have not quenched their own thirst, nor can they quench the thirst of others.
How many pulpits are occupied by preachers who have filled their heads with biblical information, and who only hope to be able to transfer it to the minds of their listeners. What comes out of a self-absorbed and strengthened mind can only occupy a place in the minds of others. Then, those who have the misfortune of listening will not hear God, nor will they receive comfort from the Word, but will remain like the deer that roars -unsatisfied- through the currents of the waters.
How many preachers there are who look for the theme of their message in a 'preacher's manual'! Such things can hardly bring life to the hearers, for the Word of God arises in the heart of God. What will the one who expects to speak from God do? Simply hear what is in the heart of God, and then channel it into the heart of man.