Treasure

I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. 

Psalm 119:11

I can still hear the way he would clear his throat before he spoke. He would clasp his hands and recite from memory the familiar words. “Blessed is the one,” he’d proclaim from Psalm 1. Or there would be a timely word from the prophet Isaiah. Sometimes John’s deep words would flow off my great-grandfather’s tongue as easily as if he’d been reading them.

You see, he’d learned to treasure God’s Word as a young man, tucking verses into his mind early on. They had marinated for years and he had called on them in times of great joy and more importantly, unthinkable trial. In the 103 years of his life, the unchanging Word of God in a changing world had sustained him.

My great grandfather died many years ago, but I still hear his voice challenging me. What eternal truths have I committed to memory? He had the Bible in written form only. I have it accessible on my phone at the touch of a button. I can listen to it while I walk or do household chores. Free programs and apps for memorizing Scripture would baffle my great grandfather. He would chuckle that I can listen to the Gospel of Mark in the school pick-up line. But do I?

I fear my familiarity with the Bible has caused me to forget it’s immeasurable worth. So many in the world hide their one illegal copy, risking everything to pull it out and read it. Yet, I can listen to it as I commute and read it in public with no fear of persecution. Do I take that for granted?

What passage of Scripture will you memorize today? Start small. Pick a verse, write it down and get to work.

God, thank You that Your Word will stand forever. Help me to root my life in Your Truth and commit myself to knowing it more each day.

Whitney