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Thus far in my lifetime, the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity of visiting fifty-five of the nations that make up our world today. In most of those nations, He has further granted me the opportunity to participate in some form of worship celebration that was being conducted in the heart language of the indigenous people. By heart language, i mean the language that is the most authentic expression of the passion of our hearts. In most instances, it is the language that was spoken in our home during our formative years. In many nations today, it is different from the trade or link language that has been adopted by a culture in order for the people to communicate across a wide variety of heart languages.
Each time i have found myself in the midst of a worship experience that is taking place in a heart language other than my own of English, it has been an opportunity for me to experience a hint of what it will one day be like to be a part of “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.(1) Each of us will be praising God in the language of our heart.
It is a reminder that God’s primary purpose for creating us was for us to worship Him … with all of our being … including our language. i am therefore convinced that the spoken word was given to us by our Creator for that primary purpose – to worship Him. Yes, it was given to us so we might communicate with one another … but that is its secondary purpose. And i believe that sin is what caused our view of the order of purpose to become confused.
It is telling that the very first thing that occurred when the Holy Spirit arrived on the Day of Pentecost was that the people of the fifteen different language groups from three continents who were gathered in Jerusalem heard and understood the disciples praising God in their own language – simultaneously.(2) The disciples were not yet preaching the Good News; they were praising God for what He had just done.
Theologians have debated for almost two thousand years as to whether the disciples were divinely and instantaneously empowered to speak in those different languages or if the people’s ears were simultaneously attuned by the Holy Spirit to hear in their own language. Or was it a combination of both? Regardless, it was quite a feat! And the fact that it was the first evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence reinforces His principal purpose – to draw all people to worship Him and bring glory to His Name.
You may recall that over twenty-three hundred years prior to that day, God had pronounced judgement on the people at the Tower of Babel by confusing their language.(3) In building their tower, they weren’t attempting to worship God, rather, they were attempting a feat in rebellion against God in order to bring glory to themselves. God is jealous for His glory, and He will not share it, so He confounded their plan by confounding their language. The judgement of differing languages caused the people to scatter and each group to go their own way.
But on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came, He united them around the praises being offered to Him. For the first time in over twenty-three hundred years, they were able to simultaneously hear the same praises to God in their own heart language. At that moment – just like in heaven to come – language was no longer a divider to worship.
Apparently, the sound of the wind drew the people to the place where the disciples were gathered, but it was their praise and worship of God that captured the attention of the people. The Holy Spirit was “the sound of the wind”. It is He who drew the people. And that’s as true today as it was then. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me.…”(4) And the Father “draws” through His Holy Spirit. Once drawn, the people encountered God through the praise and worship that was being offered up to Him. Why? Because God inhabits the praises of His people!(5)
A number of years ago, i was a part of a group visiting the Church of St. Anne, near the site of the Pool of Bethesda, in the city of Jerusalem. We were not the only people inside the church admiring the beautiful early twelfth century architecture. There was a large number of people, obviously from a wide variety of countries. We overheard many languages being spoken. The acoustics in that chapel are absolutely amazing. At some point, someone began to sing the hymn, “How Great Thou Art”(6) in another language. Though it was not a language many of us spoke, we all immediately recognized the tune. Within moments, we all joined together in singing that familiar song in our own respective language.
We didn’t know one another’s language, but we all knew the words and the meaning in our own heart language. The difference of our languages quickly disappeared in the blending of our voices – and our hearts – as we united in praise. We went on to sing two additional hymns together. i can’t remember which hymns they were, but i do remember the expressions on all of our faces. We all knew that God was inhabiting our praises. It wasn’t the place; it was the praise. None of us wanted to leave. i could see the reluctance on everyone’s face. But soon we did leave. Since then, i have had other similar experiences, but that one stands out above the rest in my memory. Even as i write this, the memory of that day reawakens the anticipation of what it will be like when we are all gathered together around the throne of God.
The disciples and the people experienced a taste on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit drew them all together as they united in worship. Together they heard and understood the praises being lifted up to Him. And God inhabited their praise and worship. And the nations were glad.
That same Holy Spirit dwells within us today, if we are followers of Jesus. He is still at work to draw all people to worship Him. What do they hear when we lift our voices? Are they hearing words that honor our God? Are they hearing the language of praise and worship? Let’s not lose sight – that’s why we’re here. That’s why He created each of us with our language of the heart – a language that echoes and reflects the language of our Creator’s heart.
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I’ve adapted this post from Until He Returns, chapter 5, entitled “Let The Nations Be Glad.” This sixth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.
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(1) Revelation 7:9 (ESV)
(2) Acts 2:9-12
(3) Genesis 11:1-9
(4) John 6:44 (NLT)
(5) Psalm 22:3
(6) How Great Thou Art, recorded by Carrie Underwood
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