We are so fortunate to live in a time and place where the Word of God is accessible to read and study. This best-seller of all time has traveled worldwide, bringing life and changing hearts wherever it goes. We are blessed to have it written in our language and on our smartphones. It is portable, and we can carry it wherever we go. This book and the gospel written inside of it are unstoppable. Missionaries have died carrying it across borders. No matter what opposition has come against the Word of God, its message continues to spread.
It was rare to have your own copy of the scripture in the early church. The Bible was still portable through scripture memorization and mediation. It is sad to me that we have
gotten away from scripture memorization. The Bible says to hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we might not sin against God (Psalm 119:11). How do we hide the Word of God in our hearts by memorization and mediation? Memorizing the Bible is a more powerful engagement than having a device in your pocket. Hiding the Word in your heart allows the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance the scripture at any given moment when you need it most. If you hear bad news, the Holy Spirit can bring peace to your heart through a passage you haven’t thought about in months. The Holy Spirit can bring the right passages to memory to fight against the devil when being attacked. The Word of God is the only way to fight against the devil. If we pay attention to God’s Word, ponder it, contemplate it, and obey it, it will bring life and healing to our souls.
Passages to focus on today.
Isaiah 55:10-11
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my Word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
I Thessalonians 2:13
13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
Prayer for today.
Father God, thank you for your written Word that we can read, study, and meditate on. Help us memorize your Word so we can hide it in our hearts that we might not sin against you. Lord, may your Word have power in our lives to free us from all bondages. That we may grow in faith by the hearing of your Word as it is preached and taught. Give us ears to hear, minds to perceive, and hearts to receive YourWord.
