“KEEP MY WORDS AND LIVE, AND MY LAW AS THE APPLE OF YOUR EYE. BIND THEM ON YOUR FINGERS; WRITE THEM ON THE TABLET OF YOUR HEART.” —PROVERBS 7:2-3
There is power in memorizing God’s Word. If you don’t think you can memorize anything, realize that most of us can recite TV commercials, sports scores, song lyrics, news facts, or jokes without even thinking. We’ve committed to memory what interests us.
I’m amazed at the amount of trivia that fills my brain! And for what? Memorizing God’s Word, however, produces enormous benefits.
God’s Word will help us resist temptation. “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11, NIV).
God’s Word helps us make wise decisions. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
God’s Word strengthens us when we’re under stress. “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (Psalm 119:50).
God’s Word comforts us when we’re discouraged. “Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).
God’s Word helps us share our faith with others. “Always be prepared to give… the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15).
Listen, read, study, and memorize God’s Word, then do one more thing, perhaps the most important: meditate (or contemplate).
Meditation is focused thinking about a particular passage of Scripture, to discover how you can best apply its truth to your life. The word meditate is related to the word ruminate, like a cow chewing its cud!
A cow has four stomachs; each piece of grass the cow swallows goes through each stomach and is rechewed. That may sound unappetizing, but think about how well-digested that grass is!
So it is when we ruminate on a morsel of truth. Our lives will be changed. Contemplating God’s Word helps us:
To change. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Your thoughts shape your life. We become what we think about the most. Contemplating God’s Word helps us become more like Him. To grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord. “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you” (John 15:7).
To navigate life successfully. “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success” (Joshua 1:8). “It is not mere reading, but meditation…that extracts the sweetness and power out of Scripture.” —James Stalker
