When God Lays a Word Upon Your Heart

At the beginning of the year, I always pray for the Lord to lay a specific word on my heart for the new year. In the past, those included words like refuge, rest, and abide.

This year, the Lord gave me the word wisdom. I always thought wisdom came with age. When God firmly planted the word wisdom upon my heart, I sensed this came from the Lord in a very real way. The word never entered my mind on my own. Even so, I sat on the word for a while. As a young person, I certainly prayed for wisdom. But I didn’t share this word aloud like I normally did. You could say I “fleeced” it a bit, taking a page from Gideon’s story in the book of Judges.  

The first confirmation occurred during a moment of worship. Our retired senior pastor, whom I love and respect dearly, sensed the Lord had dropped a word in his heart for me. As he came over to pray for me, he spoke words that almost took my breath away. The pastor prayed for wisdom. As he did, I felt the presence of the Lord using that moment to speak an echo into my heart. For most people, that might have been sufficient confirmation. But I tend to be stubborn. I almost held back my prayers, almost as if I hadn’t yet earned the right to ask for wisdom.

The second confirmation came a week later and involved three prominent leaders whom I admire and respect in my ministry field. From time to time, I reach out to them to offer prayer and encouragement. As I was in the Word studying, the Lord prompted me to connect with all three. That isn’t typically how God works in that area, at least in my life, so I was quick to obey. Within minutes, all three responded, asking me to pray for them to have wisdom. Wow. All three are roughly my age, and yet they were boldly asking for the same thing that I was timidly approaching in my own prayer life. As I got down on my knees to pray for them, I included myself in the prayer. I prayed for an outpouring of wisdom in every area of their lives, in my life, and in our respective ministries.

It was such a powerful moment for me. God allowed these leaders to speak to my place of insecurity, without them even realizing it. As I prayed for wisdom on how to even seek wisdom, I committed to making my year one that would be a quest for what this meant in my own life.

I wish I could say that immediately God dropped a word into my heart or led me to a specific scripture. Instead, there was stillness. I realize now that part of the process of seeking wisdom is being okay with the stillness. We tend to busy ourselves, often times over-extending ourselves, so stillness feels foreign. Yet it’s in those moments that the Lord can work if we allow Him to work.

As we begin 2020, I encourage you to seek a specific word from the Lord to guide your heart and mind as you grow in Him in the new year. 

Allow God to speak to you, and be open to what He has to say. He loves you. No matter your age, your position, or your past, you are incredibly loved by the author of wisdom.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5, NASB).