February 17, 2004

I WILL HIDE THY WORD IN MY HEART

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11

Memorize God’s word, and it will be hidden in your heart, apt to spring forth at a moment’s notice and even to our own surprise at times.  As we study to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth, even so is the recipient of that very verse being prepared to hear you speak it.

Haven’t you heard the words of the Lord spilling off the tongue of a sister or brother and felt God himself speaking to you?  There is power in quoting the scriptures… the power of the Holy Spirit reaching into a heart of stone, comforting a grieving heart, or encouraging another by His own hand.

The temptations before us daily require the strength of Jesus to resist, and do you hear His voice speaking to you when you whisper his very own words in prayer? Doesn’t he remind you at once that he is there with you, always?

The more you know God’s word -- the more you have committed to memory -- the more you will be amazed at how many times he will bring his words to your lips and teach you their meaning and their application in different circumstances.  Do you want wisdom? Know God’s word.  Do you want discernment?  Know his word.

I recall Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and the characters he created, who were known only by their book titles, for each had memorized a book.  In that story, literature was an enemy of the Government, so the books were being burned, but the stories lived on in the people who committed their lives to memorizing them and passing them on to the next generation.  Oh, what glory to God if we had the same dedication to commit our lives to His word!

God tells his people in Deuteronomy 33:11 to assemble together and read the law to all the people, so even the children who have not heard it will learn to fear the Lord, and to do this all their lives.   Memorize so you can pass it on, memorize so you can know him better, memorize to be obedient, “so that I might not sin against you” … memorize to speak the very heart and love of God into a dying world.