The Posture of a Teachable Heart
Meekness and Eagerness in Hearing the Word Preached
Introduction: The Contrast Between Pride and Meekness
The Westminster Larger Catechism calls hearers of the Word not only to attend upon it but to “receive the truth with… meekness, and readiness of mind, as the Word of God.” (WLC 160) This phrase, rich in biblical echoes, reminds us that our posture in hearing matters profoundly. The same Word can fall on a hard heart or a soft one, with radically different results.
James 1:21 paints the contrast in vivid terms: “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” There is a receiving that saves—and a resisting that hardens. Prideful hearers critique the sermon rather than themselves. Humble hearers are pierced and reformed. If we would be blessed by the Word, we must approach it with both meekness and readiness of mind.
Receiving the Word with Meekness
To receive the Word “with meekness” is to approach it with a heart that is teachable, tender, and low before God. Meekness does not mean weakness—it is strength under control. It is a willingness to be corrected, rebuked, and led. In an age of constant self-expression and defensiveness, meekness is a rare grace.
Richard Sibbes, in The Bruised Reed, observed that Christ will not break the bruised reed—yet the reed must first be bruised. Meekness is that bruised condition: not defensive, not self-justifying, but broken and open.
Biblical examples shine light here. Moses, though a prophet and leader, was called the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). He listened to God with reverence and obeyed even at great cost. Mary, hearing the angel’s Word, responded not with argument but with surrender: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Above all, Christ Himself submitted to every Word of His Father—even when it led to the cross (John 12:49–50).
The opposite of meekness is resistance. When we hear a sermon that touches a nerve, our instinct may be to deflect, explain, or harden. But the meek hearer does not argue with the Word—he submits to it.
Receiving the Word with Readiness of Mind
Meekness is one side of the coin. The other is eagerness—a readiness of mind. This is not merely passive openness but active hunger. It is the spirit of the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Acts 17:11). It is the attitude of Cornelius, who told Peter, “We are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord” (Acts 10:33).
Readiness of mind involves a deliberate anticipation of hearing from God. It is the student’s eagerness, the soldier’s alertness, the child’s wonder. John Bunyan portrays it in Pilgrim’s Progress when Christian arrives at the Interpreter’s House—full of questions, eyes open, heart eager to learn.
Readiness of mind means that no passage, no sermon, is old news. Every Word is living and active (Heb. 4:12).
Application: Hearing the Word Actively
If we are to receive the Word with meekness and readiness, certain practices help train our hearts:
Pray Before the Service: Use Psalm 119:18—“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
Take Notes During the Sermon: Writing helps retain and process. Record the explanations, illustrations, and applications.
Discuss the Sermon After Church: Talk with your family or friends. Ask, “What convicted you?” or “What comforted you?”
Review During the Week: Revisit the text and notes in your devotions. Let the Word dwell in you richly (Col. 3:16).
We do not drift into meekness and readiness. These are cultivated postures, habits of soul. The more we prepare, the more we profit.
Conclusion: The Blessing of a Receptive Heart
Psalm 25:9 says, “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” God teaches the teachable. He reforms the receptive. The soft heart, as Chrysostom once preached, “like fertile soil, produces a rich harvest from the Word sown within it.”
How much Word have you heard? How much has it changed you? May the Spirit grant us hearts that are soft, humble, and hungry. For only then will the implanted Word truly save our souls.