I Have Hidden Your Word In My Heart
““I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” ”
““I stay awake through the night, thinking about your promise.In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry; let me be revived by following your regulations.Lawless people are coming to attack me; they live far from your instructions.But you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true.I have known from my earliest days that your laws will last forever.””
There was a period of time two years ago when the world began to cave in on me. My nights would be wracked with anxiety and an overwhelming sense of responsibility in life beyond what I could handle (for more detail, read my previous blog post). Graciously, the Lord intervened. He impressed upon me to memorize Psalm 23. Once I had done so, I would recite that psalm numerous times each night until I remembered who I was in comparison to both the world and my Lord. The world may be a scary and imposing place at points, but if I remember that I am a sheep and the Lord my Shepherd, then it’s of no real concern to me.
The last several months have felt like walking through the valley of the shadow of death. News articles cry out against my faith speaking of chaos and the demise of so many things that I have taken for granted in life. Like the cry of wolves in a valley at dusk, there appear to be predators circling in for an opportune kill. The cry of wolves alone, however, can do no harm, and the habit I made of reciting Psalm 23 quickly returned. As many times as my focus turns to the state of the world, I try to return my focus to the Lord by reciting Psalm 23 or another passage from the Word of God.
There are times when I can pick up the Bible and read, but in many cases I pull a passage from memory. The Lord truly is near at hand and if His word is hidden in our hearts and stored in our minds, then it will be much easier to recognize His nearness.
There is no better time than now to start memorizing scripture or to expand what you have already memorized. Personally, I keep a small memorization journal that fits in my back pocket. I’ve also found the “FighterVerses” memorization app to be a big help. Also, BibleMemory.com lists several free apps and sites for both adults and kids.
In parts of the world where Bibles are illegal, memorized verses may be all that a Christian has of God’s word. Currently, house churches in Iran are memorizing a collection of 125 verses. If you don’t know where to start, download a copy of those verses. What do you struggle with now that could be worked through and eventually defeated by the Word of God always on hand? Who could you encourage, challenge or reach? Memorizing and then using Scripture in our daily lives is a simple but powerful tool to honor the Lord and to see ourselves washed and renewed regularly with His Word.
““And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.””