MAY 8

Psalm 119:11
Memorise Psalm 119:11
“…Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee…”

In the previous devotion, we spoke of how to cleanse our lives by taking heed to God’s Word and applying it. Today’s verse teaches us to take this one step further. Not only should we read God’s Word to grow in righteousness, we should also memorise it. The Psalmist proclaims, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart”, showing that he also makes it a point to commit God’s Word to memory. He hides it like a treasure in his heart so that God’s commandments and promises are always with him.

How does that help us to keep from sin? Often when we are confronted with temptation, we may not have our Bible with us. We may vaguely remember a Bible verse that may help to counter the temptation before us but its weak memory can only put up a half-hearted defence against falling into sin. If we had memorised Scripture, we could easily remember it and use it in defence against the devil. We wouldl be able to counter Satan’s attacks like our Lord Jesus did in Matthew 4:1-11. He answered every one of Satan’s temptations with God’s Word and was victorious over sin.

Let us challenge ourselves to memorise Bible verses regularly during our Quiet Time. Sometimes by reading the same portion of Scripture repeatedly over a few days, you may be able to commit it to memory. You can also choose certain memory verses that you find useful in your time of temptation or despair. You can choose to record the verses that you have memorised in a notebook. Good verses to memorise would also be those pertaining to salvation so that you can readily use them to answer unbelievers when they have questions about your faith (1 Peter 3:15). At first, it may seem difficult and even tedious to memorise verses but persevere and ask God for help. You will definitely find that the rewards are well worth the effort.

Thought: Memorise Psalm 119:11. Make it a habit. Start today!
Prayer: Lord, grant me the discipline and ability to commit Thy Word to memory. Help me to see that Thy Word is precious treasure that I should hide in my heart.