Does God know English? We may not stop to think about it, but yes, He does! Even though the Bible was primarily written in Hebrew and Greek, we understand that God can still speak to us through His Word translated into English. We pray to God in English, and He speaks to our hearts in return.
Many people do not know that God speaks their language. To them, God feels distant, a foreigner to their culture. When Scripture is first translated into a new language, native speakers often express what they truly grasp for the first time: “God speaks my language!” A God who communicates in their heart language no longer seems like a foreigner, but is someone they can learn to know and trust.
Heart Language:
Most people in the world, including many who speak minority languages without the Scriptures, speak a second language. For instance, many of the Mixtec people of Mexico also speak some Spanish. So why invest years in a Mixtec translation when they can read a Spanish Bible?
In reality, although many of the Mixtec can speak Spanish, Spanish is not their heart language. Heart language, or mother tongue, is the language we grow up speaking in our homes, and in which we most naturally think, dream, and build relationships.
Consider what it would be like if God's communication with you through His Word came through a second language. What if you could never read the Bible in English? What if your God was a God of another language? How would this affect your relationship with and understanding of Him?
The Scripture in Their Heart Language:
English speakers have been able to read the Bible in their heart language for five hundred years. We may hardly realize the blessing we have because of the toil of men who gave their lives to translating the Bible into English.
But shouldn't God's Word be made available in the heart language of every person? We know that God speaks every language. If nearly eighteen hundred language groups have not even one verse of Scripture, what would He have us do?
All-Nations Bible Translation has been established as an answer to that question, an opportunity for Anabaptist people to participate in responding to this need. Join us in praying that the Lord will send laborers to these fields, and that millions more will know the God who speaks their language.
Aaron Crider
ABT Exec Committee
- Do you know the story of the English Bible? Listen to this audio production to learn more - http://www.allnationsbibletranslation.org/the-history-of-the-english-bible
- To continue learning more about the needs of the Unreached begin here - http://www.allnationsbibletranslation.org/learn/the-task
