“Your word I have hidden my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)
I remember memorizing Psalm 23 in Sunday school. That earned me my first Bible! I like that the teacher said memorizing Scripture is
like hiding God’s Word in our hearts. As I grew older, I realized what a treasure God’s memorized Word is.
Keeping God’s Word with us this way serves in several ways. It is a reminder to not sin against Him and to draw on His many promises.
It also helps us to be encouraged in moments we may experience fear and doubt. We also memorized the 10 Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. I was 12 when I walked to the front to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
I remember my sister getting up and walking to the front. I had heard the choice so many times—“Accept the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and go to heaven or die without Him and go to the eternal lake of fi re.” (We weren’t allowed to say “hell.”) I decided to accept Jesus—being in eternal pain wasn’t what I wanted. After hearing about Jesus’ love for all of us, over and over again, it was a clear choice. The pastor’s wife asked me if I was just copying my sister. I absolutely was not! The choice was all mine.
The 10 Commandments became more important, and had more meaning, as did the Lord’s Prayer. Psalm 23 is good to gather strength
from, and I always encourage others to read it when they are discouraged or have lost their way for a moment. Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 13; Jeremiah 29:11 . . . I have not fully memorized these, but often refer to them. This is one of my goals, to memorize more.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your precious Word. Help me to hide more of it in my heart.
– Loretta Oppenheim
Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.
Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org