Preparing the Heart

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

Ezra 7:10

To begin studying, we must first prepare ourselves, just as Ezra did. We must set our hearts in the proper path to begin study. In order to prepare our hearts, there are several attitudes we must strive to match.

First, we must humble ourselves (Proverbs 11:2, Colossians 3:12). This means that we must be aware of our own status, relative to the Lord. We must be aware of our limitations and of our failures when following Christ.

Second, we must have fear ( Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 15:33). We must have reverence towards God and His word. We must also have a degree of fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Consider that in studying, you are handling the word given by God.

Third, we must have an open and receptive mind. We must make sure that we are not studying the Bible in search of proof for what we believe. We must have the mindset of Job (Job 6:24), of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 10:24), and of David (Psalm 25:4-5). Our mindset must be that we wish to learn and, if necessary, be corrected.

We also need to prepare with prayer. As in all other things, we should pray (I Thessalonians 5:17). When Paul prayed for the church in Colossi, he prayed that they be filled with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Such should be our prayer. Likewise, Solomon prayed for wisdom and knowledge (II Chronicles 1:7-13), and this pleased God greatly. In fact, if pleased God so much that He granted Solomon much that had not been asked.

Let us always remember to prepare our hearts to seek the law of the Lord. Rehoboam failed to set his heart to seek the Lord, and the results were evil (II Chronicles 12:14). Let us not be like him. Let us follow the example of Ezra instead.

And of course, this does not apply solely to private study of the scriptures. Each time we gather together to study, whether in Bible class or sermon, we must be properly prepared. Let us keep this in mind, whether we are studying alone, studying with others at home, studying with others in an assembly, or in our upcoming gospel meeting.