Memorizing God's Letters To Me

 Honoring God with my life has become increasingly important to me.  I have come to understand that doing this through all areas of my life will enable me to become the person God wants me to be.

            Now that said, I think the next focus area is especially difficult and I have yet to master a sure fire way to accomplish the task!  I need to honor God by memorizing His word.  We are commanded again and again to do so.

It’s a frightful thought, but persecution of Christians is becoming more and more prevalent.  It’s not out of the realm of possibility that even each of us in one way or another deal with some sort of persecution every day.  What would you do if the government decided Bibles are illegal?  Could you resort to your memory to quote or recall scripture if things got especially tough? 

            I have read several accounts of pastors in foreign countries, who while imprisoned, relied heavily on their memory of the Scriptures for strength.  One pastor said, “I kept my sanity only by repeating Bible verses over and over.”  

            Not only is memorizing scripture from this perspective important; it’s also essential when we are sharing the gospel with someone else.  We need to show the person with whom we are sharing, the Scripture, as proof of what we are saying.  

            While ashamed to admit it, scripture memory seems to elude me!  I write them down, read and re-read them, say them over and over and while the gist is there, the actual verse seems clouded and fuzzy!  I get so frustrated!  That’s not to say I haven’t been at all successful, but it just doesn’t “stick” the way I’d like!

            I need to remember, “I have to begin with the end in mind.”  It’s critical to remembering anything!  If I can focus on the idea of persecution being before me, in essence, “the end” then I can, hopefully, understand the urgency and significant ramifications if I don’t memorize Scripture!

            If I can imagine the benefits of knowing God’s Word, then I should be able to tap into the potential within me to accomplish this goal.  When I center my life on correct principles, and use the wisdom and guidance that comes from God's Word, then I should naturally retain the information better which I have gleaned.

            The bottom line is focus.  I need to stand back and ask myself (and The Lord) “How can I best accomplish what is before me?”  Knowing the Bible in overview might be the way to begin.  If I can understand book by book the general content, then tie the books together, memorizing Scripture and “connecting the dots” with all I am learning, I stand a better chance of putting the words concretely in my mind.  

When I am imbedding His Word within my head and heart, I can align my values, principles and direction with my Creator.  Accomplishing this task is critical in my growth of becoming the person He wants me to be.  If God is my center then the letters written to me between the covers of the book we know as “The Holy Bible” should be ingrained within the very fibers of my being.  Scripture memory: It puts the God of the Universe in the center of all I do, say, think and respond.  It puts me in harmony with my Lord.  And when I do this, I am honoring Him.  What a gift!