“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Ps. 119:9, 11)
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” (Ps. 119:15-16)
“More to be desired are [God’s words] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” (Ps. 19:10-11)
“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught.” (2Tim. 3:14NLT)
Self-care takes work! In our last blog, we talked about relationships requiring hard work. Good healthy relationships don’t just happen. They take work! A lot of work! What about our relationship with God?
Whether we are global workers or family of the workers far away or those serving as senders, we need to all be aware that self-care is imperative and is going to augment our care of others. What do I include in my rule of life that is focused on self-care so I will be healthy to care for others?
What is the best way to work toward self-care? One way is to constantly monitor and be aware of the reserves of fuel in the tank to keep going. I write songs out of “self-defense”? What does that even mean, you might ask? To guard against lies of the enemy, I must have truth ringing, yes, even, singing in my heart to remind me what is true. Paul reminds us in Philippians 4, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right…Then the God of peace will be with you.”(4:8-9) If the peace of God or the God of peace seems to be missing, what is the issue? For several years, I have written melodies to help me remember Scripture, both in English and in Flemish. Then, when I am facing difficult or challenging moments, those truths simply flood back to reassure, comfort or remind me of God’s presence, His faithfulness, and His goodness in spite of what I am experiencing at the moment!
Reading an article by Brayden Morrison recently, I started to make a mental list of reasons to memorize the Word of God as well as admit the reasons why I have, at times, avoided this foundational discipline. He caught my attention with these words: “There is nothing in this world that is greater than knowing God (it is, indeed, humanity’s highest good), and Scripture reveals who God is and what God has done. I’ve come to understand that memorizing Scripture is one of the best ways to constantly meditate on the Bible and remember who God is and what God has done.” See Renew.org “Why Memorize Scripture”
I confess, I too have memorized Scripture for the sake of candy in Sunday School. But also, in response to the challenge of a Bible class teacher at age 12, and I can still quote Psalm 1 today because of that. Psalm 29 is memorable to me because I heard a preacher recite it. He also could recite the genealogy of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel…impressive, until you realize Jesus lived in a time when young men were expected to memorize the entire Torah! But, let’s not get distracted.
Let’s start that list of reasons to memorize The Word here and you can be thinking of other reasons to add:
- Memorized Scripture reminds me which Life Path to take. Since I have “hidden His Word in my heart,” I know I can say “NO” to sin. The path the enemy offers may look good at first glance with glitz and glamour, but seen through the filter of His Word, I know which way to turn.
- When The Word flows from my heart, I am reminded to take a step back and recount all of the times the Father has faithfully come through! I will tell stories of His faithfulness, His rescue, His redemption.
- When my life has hit a rough patch, my attitude taken a down turn, or my direction seems dark and/or bleak, The Word is a Light for my path to give me secure footing and give me confidence for the day ahead.
What would you add to this list? How has memory work from yesteryear returned to help you on your life journey? I am confident that as we consider the importance of self-care, even as we strive to care for those we have sent into global work, we can continue to build on the firm foundation of Scripture committed to memory. Let’s continue to encourage one another with words from His Word that flow from our hearts.
