Hiding His Word

"I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I will hide God's word in my heart, that I might not sin against God."

Although I have said this pledge over and over again with our AWANA kids this past year, I feel like I have only recently begun to understand the depth of what it means. The memorization of specific verses and passages from the Bible is a valuable tool for self-discipline and for being a good and faithful witness of Christ to others. I have found that many of the verses I memorized during my youth, while I was in the AWANA program, have never really left me. I may not be able to quote chapter and verse every time, but I do tend to retain the underlying meaning.

Being an AWANA leader this past year has helped me to get back into the habit of scripture memorization. As I explained to the kids at the end of the year, while one of my jobs was to listen as they recited their verses, they actually ended up teaching me many verses that I didn't already know. This is one one of the ways God has taught me the truth of Psalm 119:9-16. First, we are cleansed by His word. Next, we keep ourselves from becoming soiled again by hiding His word within us. Eventually, we grow and mature so much in Him that we actually delight in His word!

I have also found that one of the ways I am able to depend more on the Lord and less on other people is by memorizing His word. For example, there was a time in my life (not so long ago) when, if someone asked how I was doing, I would give them an earful of my problems in the hope that they would be able to offer me some comfort or advice. Just recently, when someone asked me how I was doing, I immediately thought of all the problems I was having. However, before I could speak, John 16:33 came into my mind, and I actually quoted the verse out loud instead of answering the question!

Each year, our church selects a new passage of scripture to memorize - eleven verses in sequence, one per month (we take December off), memorized over the course of each Wednesday night service throughout the year. Each month builds on the previous months, so that by the end of the year, those who apply themselves to this task are able to recite an entire passage at once. The person responsible for leading us in learning these verses tests us on what we've learned at the end of each month, and he also loves to turn this activity into a competition.

This past Wednesday night, I was one of two competitors selected to stand up in front of everyone and recite John 15:1-6. Of the two of us, I was the one who made it all the way through. While it is extremely gratifying to receive the congratulations of those around me for doing so, I pray that God will keep me humble in this endeavor. The prospect of individual recognition is a powerful motivator for me to keep memorizing, but I must not lose sight of the fact that I should not do it for that purpose. My purpose is to glorify God, not myself.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalm 119:105