The Lord’s words are very important and very influential. David had received much enlightenment from God. In fact, apart from Moses, David was the one whom the Lord had enlightened the most in the Old Testament. What David received was different from that of Moses. David’s eyes were opened concerning God’s glory and beauty, God’s heart and affection, how to have fellowship with God, etc. David was also enlightened about singing to God, as he wrote many psalms. David had a great influence on the Israelites, leading the nation to a new stage. The psalms alone had a great impact, even till this day. We need such a person with such a peaceful heart, who has time for God.
In Psalm 28, David says, “If You [God] be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.” If God doesn’t speak to us, we would be like dead people. Our spirits would lack color and life. We have the Bible, but when we read it, what matters is how much and how deeply God speaks to us. It’s like He especially opens our eyes.
In John Chapters 14 and 16, the Lord talked a lot about the Holy Spirit. He especially said that the Holy Spirit was the Spirit of truth. He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). Therefore, if we want to understand and enter into the truth, we can’t just read about the truth. Instead, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. When we read the Bible, we can’t just read it like any other book. It is important to have fellowship with the Lord. We need the Lord to open our eyes and the Holy Spirit to guide us into all the truth. That’s why when we read the Bible, our spirits can feel better. The Lord speaks deeply in our hearts, opening our eyes and nourishing our spirits. It’s very different from non-believers reading the Bible. Even if you were to get the highest score in a Bible school , it doesn’t mean you really understand the Bible.
God is real and He does work in us. After having fellowship with Him, we will be changed. Though our eyes cannot see Him, He will reveal Himself in our hearts in many ways. We are able to experience Him and receive His words. And we can know and understand Him, more than any other friendship. He has opened His heart. He made known the Father’s name and He will “continue to make it known.” (John 17:26) Right now, He’s making the Father’s heart known to us in our hearts. He’s still opening His heart to us.
In Matthew 4:4, it is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” We really need God’s word, and we need to take it as it was directly spoken to us, not just written words in the Bible.
Hebrews 4:12 reads, “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.” On the day when the Holy Spirit came, 3000 people believed in the Lord. They were cut to the heart. (Acts 2:37) That’s when the Holy Spirit opens your eyes. I also experienced God’s word piercing my heart. And many times, He opened my spiritual eyes. It’s very personal. People may disregard me, but it’s so precious that God desires to have fellowship with me and to open His heart to me. His words, teachings, and reminders to me are uncountable. He is so real.
Psalm 45 tells us to incline our ears to hear His soft voice. Our hearts need to be at peace in all situations. When I am actively doing things, my heart is still at peace. When I rejoice, my heart is still undisturbed. If your heart is disturbed , then it’s not really rejoicing. Only when your heart is at peace can you experience true rejoicing. It’s not a psychological effect. But it starts with a peaceful heart that can see the Lord’s preciousness. From this point we can rejoice with a thankful heart.
In Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, it mentions many times: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” These two chapters are actually very important, but Christians today do not understand the Lord and cannot quite hear the Holy Spirit. If they had heard, they would have already returned to God’s will. They should understand the situation of church history and know how to go forward. These two chapters are about our spirits, and how to be restored if we have fallen. These two chapters recount what the Spirit says to the churches. You can see from here that the Holy Spirit indeed speaks to brothers and sisters in the church. We have ears, but we need to listen. We are born again. I can describe it this way: we have spiritual ears. Our spirits can see and hear. The Lord will open our spiritual eyes.
Mary, Jesus’ mother, kept God’s word in her heart. (Luke 2) The psalmist in Psalm 119 really loved God. He said, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Ps. 119:11) When we keep God’s word, we will not sin against Him. Simply put, we should at least keep His word in our hearts. When we talk to others, we should also be attentive, not absent-minded. When you talk to certain people, , they are so inattentive and they just respond absent-mindedly. They don’t put their hearts into listening and understanding you. When you draw near to God, if you keep talking or singing, but your heart is not there, it’s not helpful. Your heart is important. The Lord says it Himself that we must worship God in spirit and truth. (John 4:23)
Truth is very important. John the Baptist was in the wilderness. When the Lord’s word came to him, he came out to preach. God spoke to him and he experienced the work of the Holy Spirit. People gathered and had meetings in the wilderness, wasn’t it great? What a scene of revival! So, truth is very important.
In Luke 10, Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. This is what led to Mary offering her perfume. The Lord’s word will sanctify us. His word sanctified Mary, who broke the flask and offered her heart to the Lord.
God’s word is very influential to us. We believed in the Lord because of the word of God, which shines before us. For some people, when they first heard the gospel, they did not believe. Maybe you were one of them. But at one point, they felt something different working in their hearts. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” It doesn’t mean that faith comes from the word of God only, but that we also need the work of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all the truth.
Romans 15:4 reads, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This is what God’s word can do. The Israelites and the Pharisees knew the Bible very well, but why couldn’t they experience any changes? The same goes for some Jews today. You should see that it’s not just about God’s word. When we listen to the message, we need the work of the Holy Spirit. When we read the Bible, we need the work of the Holy Spirit. When we read spiritual books, we need the work of the Holy Spirit.
When it comes to singing and worship, each hymn consists of so many of God’s words. In the case of certain hymns, God’s word is expressed in a very condensed form. When we use particular words, like , “covenant,” this carries all the meaning and content associated with that specific term. Similarly, being “united with the Lord” is more than just a phrase. Here’s another example: “He walked up to the cross for me.” The more you know, the more you can understand the content. There are so many precious truths in the hymns that help us to recall God’s word and truth. So, it’s impossible for your spirit not to get any benefit from the hymns. If you have many truths stored up in you, they can touch your heart at all times.