Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
Will and Leah, ages 5 1/2 and almost 3 are memorizing this particular verse this week. To make it fun, I wrote it out on a piece of paper, cut it up and hid the pieces around the house for a scavenger hunt. Then the kids and I put the puzzle back together to reveal the full verse. We followed this up by singing “I Have Hidden Your Word” from the Hide ‘Em in Your Heart CD by Steve Green!
To hide can mean to “conceal from sight” or “to obstruct the view of”, which I did for my children with the paper. But I’m thinking a more appropriate definition of hiding God’s Word in this context would be “to put away carefully”.
Remembering God’s Word comes more easily when we do more than just read it on Sunday mornings, following along with the sermon or Scripture texts. To me, hiding God’s Word in our hearts means to read a passage, think about it, read it a few more times and then saying it out loud throughout the day. In this way, God’s messages to us can be cherished, tucked away in our hearts for moments when we need them.
It’s amazing to me that comforting or encouraging verses will simply spring into my mind during my times of need. And when we’ve committed Scripture to memory, we can use it for the encouragement of others, especially our children. Knowing the Bible allows us to know God in a more personal way and helps us in our struggle against sin.
I pray that you will take time today to memorize one verse of Scripture or look up a verse that has been meaningful to you in the past. Time spent in God’s Word is never in vain!
WANT TO SPEAK WITH GRACE TO YOUR KIDS INSTEAD OF YELLING?
