The Heart of a King - A Heart That Retains the Word of God

The heart of a king retains the Word. In Luke 8:15 Jesus said ‘but the seed on good soil stands for those with a good and noble heart, who hear the word, retain it’.

When I was a youth I helped my Dad in the farming business. I learned there were two critical aspects to farming….sowing the seed, and harvesting the grain. I loved to sow, however my Dad seldom let me do that aspect of farming because it required great care. Sowing was not simply getting the seed into the ground. It included proper depth and protection of the seed. We used a mechanical seed drill that inserted seed a few inches into the ground. The mechanical drill had a storage box on top filled with seed. As we drove across the plowed fields the seed dropped through tubes into the soil. This was followed by narrow wheels that rolled over the seed packing and sealing the seed under the topsoil. The seed had to be deep enough to be protected. If the tubes were not properly adjusted for depth the seed would stay on the surface and be blown away or eaten by birds. If the wheels didn’t firmly pack the soil over the seed it would be exposed and lost. The seed had to go deep and be protected to produce a harvest in due season.

As ministry leaders, we receive the Word of God into our hearts, but do we let it go deeply into prepared soil and do we protect it? We must guard our heart for it is the wellspring of life.(Prov. 4:23) We must protect, remember, and meditate upon the Word. The heart of a king is a heart that protects the seed of the Word. Whether it’s the prophetic word, written word, word of counsel, word of wisdom, word of teaching, the heart of a king attentively retains that word. For what purpose? To produce a harvest!

Many leaders wonder why they don’t see fruit in their lives and ministries. Could it be they never let the seed of the word go deeply into their heart? Could it be they’ve not covered or retained the Word that was sown? Some leaders give superficial acknowledgment to the Word. They can speak and preach it, but it never sprouts, becomes rooted, and produces within their heart. I encourage you to be attentive to protect and retain the Word that is sown in you. Then you will see fruit in your harvest.