The Word and the Heart

Imagine carrying the weight of life’s pressures and reaching for comfort in Scripture—only to understand a word here and there because the Bible is not in your language. How do believers walk through seasons of joy and seasons of sorrow without the steadying voice of the Psalms or the wisdom of Proverbs in words they truly understand?

For nearly 3,000 language communities, this is an everyday reality. Yet this story does not end in loss.

Our Father has promised that the knowledge of Him will fill the earth.

We thank God that in just over half of the world’s languages, heart-language Scripture is now within reach. Many believers open God’s living Word each day and find comfort, wisdom, and unchanging truth. 

Even so, nearly one billion people still wait to hear His Word clearly in the language closest to their hearts.

Jesus Prayed for Transformed Hearts

Jesus knew every generation would need His Word and His Spirit. On the night before the cross, He prayed not only for those standing near Him, but for all who would believe through their message. He prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” — John 17:17, NIV

Jesus asked the Father to shape believers’ hearts through His Word—to steady anxiety, guard faith, and send disciples into the world anchored in Him.

God Still Answers Jesus’ Prayer

One way God powerfully answers this prayer is through indigenous Bible translation.

Across the world, men and women translate Scripture into the languages they grew up speaking. Mother-tongue speakers know the rhythms, expressions, and words their communities use every day. With training and support, these translators serve their people by making God’s Word available.

For many communities, this is the first time people hear Scripture in words that reach the heart.

A Heart Transformed

A woman in one of these communities experienced this change. 

Thandiwe* shares her experience:

“My life was full of sorrow. I was sick almost every day. I went to many doctors, but nothing helped. There was no peace in my home. At times, I even thought about ending my life. I could not sleep. My mind would not rest.

I kept asking myself, Who will save me? Who is the true God? Who really loves me?

One day, a friend invited me to church. When I heard the Bible in my language, I felt a peace I had never known. Afterward, my friend told me more about the Lord Jesus and urged me to trust Him.

I began attending church regularly, and slowly, my life began to change. My health improved. I slept through the night. The restlessness in my heart went away. Jesus saved me, and His Word took root in my life. Joy returned to our home, and my family saw the difference in me.

I thank God for rescuing me and for sending Scripture to our community in a language we understand. Through this translation, God speaks to us in words we know.”

From One Heart to Many

When Scripture arrives in a language people understand, change often begins slowly.

Translators labor carefully over the text, and Scripture shapes their hearts as they work. The God who once felt distant becomes near. Faith deepens. Families notice the difference.

Those shaped by truth begin to share God’s Word with neighbors. These empowered Christians cannot help but speak of what God has done. These disciples open Scripture to show others. The Word moves by the Spirit from one household to another in a language community members understand easily. 

This is how the Lord builds His Church—through ordinary men and women shaped by His truth and changed by His saving love. Pray that many more will hear God’sWord in the language of their hearts, and that their homes, like Thandiwe’s, will be filled with new peace and lasting joy.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. – Ezekiel 36:26, NIV

*Pseudonym used for security.