I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. –
Psalm 119:11 (ESV)
Chuck was a paramedic for a number of years. His work experiences ranged from humorous and absurd to poignant and even terrifying. Many things he saw were not for the faint of heart. Having been on the scene of several serious accidents, he made an interesting observation – if they were conscious, people’s reactions were usually one of two things: they were either cursing God or crying out to Him.
He always got goosebumps when recalling one particular family, all injured in a serious car accident. In their semi-conscious state and through their pain, they were reciting Psalm 23 together, “The Lord is my shepherd…“ He suspected that none of them would remember that night, if even that moment. And he could only hope that they all survived. But regardless of their outcome, he was assured of one thing: they had God’s word written on their hearts.
From some of the earliest times recorded in the Bible, we are admonished to write God’s word on our hearts:
You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deuteronomy 11:18 ESV
We are to make God’s word a guiding force in our lives. We are called to know it, understand it, respect it, and live it out willingly.
We would all like to think that in a difficult situation, we would honor God with our words and actions, and that we would reflect that God’s words and wisdom are written on our hearts. We can do this by intentionally purposing to do so. First, consider that the word heart is a metaphor for our inmost being, perhaps even our very soul. So how does the word go from our minds to our souls?
We must read and study God’s word. We must repeat it often. We must choose it over weaker options more often so that our mind is filled to overflowing with the words and wisdom of God. Like the Psalmist, we can even pray, asking God to indelibly mark our souls with His word. Basically, the more intentional we are about God’s word, the more permanently it will stick with us.
God uses His servants to preach and deliver His word to us, and this is an important way to receive it. We read in Hebrews 10:25 (NLT), “And let us not neglect our meeting together…” For most of us, this means regular church attendance, and hearing our clergy faithfully preach God’s word. An anointed Bible teacher or preacher can deliver God’s word in a way that penetrates the hardness of our hearts and ministers to us in soul and spirit.
Lord God, help us to treasure Your word and write it upon our hearts! Help us to bear in mind the words in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV), “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Thank you Lord for the gift of Your word!