Another problem of the heart in relation to the Word is that of not having any heart at all for the Word. We have pointed out the problem of not using or exercising our heart in reading the Word. However, there is a difference between this and not having a heart for the Word. There are some people who seem to have no heart at all. Inwardly, they are like dead wood. No matter how much such a person may read the Bible, he will not receive any blessing from his reading, for he lacks the function through which to comprehend what the Bible is saying. He simply has no function of heart in reading the Word. This is a very serious problem. When many Christians come to the Bible, they are like dead wood, without a heart.
Another problem with the heart is related to things that cover you, separate you from the Lord, or frustrate your contact with the Lord. In reading the Word of God, you may cry out to the Lord and be desperate to receive something from the Lord. However, there may be hindrances or frustrations within you. There may be a certain sin that besets, captures, and possesses you. On the one hand, you love the Word of God. On the other hand, a certain sin may lie hidden in your heart, and you may not be willing for the Lord to deal with it. Such a hidden sin will prevent you from receiving blessing from the Word. Suppose, for example, someone has offended you, and you are not willing to forgive this offense. You may not consider that your unwillingness to forgive is a sin, but it is in fact a sin. You may hide this sin, or other kinds of sins, from man, and you may even attempt to conceal it from the Lord. If you come to the Bible with such a sin hidden within you, you will not be able to receive anything from the Word, even though you have a heart for the Word. If you have a tendency toward something which does not please the Lord and at the same time desire to come to the Word, you will not be blessed by reading the Word of God.
We know from our experience that at times we struggle with the Lord, perhaps over the issue of consecration. We may not be willing to consecrate ourselves, to be subdued by the Lord, or to be convinced by Him. We may insist on holding to our opinion regarding a particular matter. Even though the Lord speaks to us again and again, we still are not willing to be convinced, because His speaking is contrary to our opinion. We cling to our concept and insist on it. Such an insistence is a veil that covers our heart. Do you think that you can receive help from the Word if your heart is covered in this way? To be sure, reading the Word when you are in such a condition will not be a help to you.
If we want to receive blessing from the Word of God, we must first deal with our heart and turn to the Lord absolutely and with our whole heart. We also need to deal with anything in our heart that is negative or that causes separation between us and the Lord. If we deal with our heart and with the negative things between us and the Lord, our condition is likely to be normal. Then it is very possible that we shall receive help from the Word.
Even if we deal with our heart and with the negative things in our heart, we may still have some complications. All of us, young and old alike, are complicated. Within us there are a number of factors which cause complications. These complications also make it difficult for us to receive blessing from the Word.
As we read Psalm 119, we see that the psalmist was right with the Lord. There was nothing between him and the Lord. I appreciate the line in the hymn, “Nothing between, Lord, nothing between.” However, it is one thing to sing this hymn, but it is another thing to practice having nothing between us and the Lord. How much we shall receive from the living Word if there is nothing between the Lord and us!
If a person studies diligently for a number of years, he may receive a Ph.D. in a certain field, perhaps in nuclear physics. Although I have known a number of young people who have earned a Ph.D., I do not know many who have attained a comparable measure of understanding in spiritual matters. Some have had the Bible, a book of heavenly, divine, and spiritual science, in their hands for decades, but still they have only an elementary understanding of it. This indicates that although they have acquired a certain amount of knowledge, they have not been blessed through their reading of the Word. Earning a Ph.D. degree requires much study, but it does not require that you deal with your heart. For example, does refusing to forgive someone hinder you from earning a doctoral degree? Of course not! But such a thing can keep you from receiving blessing from the Word of God. A sister, Margaret E. Barber, used to say that even a small leaf can hide a bright star. Likewise, even a small matter can keep us from receiving blessing from the Bible.