» Language of the Heart

My husband Ray and I recently took care of three little boys from church while their parents went out for dinner. With our two adult sons grown and on their own, we were blessed to spend time with these little ones. At one point during our evening together, the boys poured out a bin of Legos onto the carpet and I sat down with them, asking about the different Lego men, the weapons, the spaceships. The boys seemed preoccupied, searching quietly through the pile for their favorite characters while I continued my one-way conversation.

Then Ray picked up a spaceship, swooping it high in the air and back down again. “Splat! Bam! Crash!” he said (or something like that). Suddenly the boys’ faces lit up, and they excitedly joined in with their own noises. Someone was finally speaking their language! I had a flashback of Ray down on the floor playing with our young sons, and I remembered the lively sound effects. Though I had forgotten, Ray still remembered their language.

God knows the language of each heart. He knows the words that will touch us deep within and make us come alive to Him. Isaiah 65:1 says, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, Here am I.’”

I think of Saul on his way to Damascus. Even as he breathed out death threats against the Lord’s disciples, God knew exactly what would speak to Saul’s heart. God used drastic measures to reach him—a blinding light and a voice from heaven saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” (Acts 9:4).

From Saul’s response, we know that he was touched, and changed. He answered, “Who are you, Lord, that I may worship You?”(Acts 9: 5a). The Lord so captured Saul’s heart that later on he said, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ” (Philippians 3:8a, emphasis mine).

The Lord may shout loudly to get our attention. He may allow affliction. He will stop at nothing to speak our language.

The Apostle Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68b). God’s words sound like no other words. His words speak to that place in our hearts only He can touch. His words fill us with light and they make our spirits come alive. God knows—and speaks—our language. Because when He speaks, it’s the language of the heart.