Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

I have always thought this verse in English was a bit strange. What does it mean to “hide God’s Word,” anyway? However, the Japanese translation makes a lot more sense: “stored up.” That’s exactly what we do when we read the Bible regularly. Sometimes it has immediate application, and the more we grow spiritually the easier it is to see that application. However, at least as much if not more, regular Bible reading gives us a storehouse of God’s Word for times when we don’t have the printed book at hand. The Holy Spirit guides us, but He has a much easier time of it when we have stored up the Word of God in our hearts and minds. When we have done that, the Holy Spirit can pull out relevant passages for almost any situation we find ourselves in. In terms of standing against sin, which is what the Psalmist is referencing here, having Scripture “on call” in our heart is a huge advantage in resisting temptation. There’s no better defense against a lie than the truth, and God’s Word is the very definition of truth. That’s why the devil does all he can to discredit the Bible, inviting people to pick and choose what they like out of it and discard the rest for one excuse or another. However, as Paul said, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) That gives us every reason to store it up in our hearts and minds!

I grew up in a home that was saturated in the Bible, but we had very little emphasis on memorization. That was quite possibly because my father, as a Greek and Hebrew scholar, and my mother, as the daughter of a Greek scholar, were well aware of the down side of relying on one particular translation. The first full Bible I owned was (and is – I still have it) the RSV translation, but when I was in Christian children’s groups, any memorization they did was KJV. I’ve been using the NIV for preaching in English for about 35 years now, and the Shin Kaiyaku in Japanese, but my memorization is all over the map. I wish I were better at referencing chapter and verse, but I am happy to say that a good chunk of the content is indeed “on call” for whenever it is needed. Now if I only put it into practice more consistently! However, there too I am growing, and I am grateful. As a pastor, I have to be careful I don’t inundate people with Scripture at the drop of a hat! I need to keep growing in expressing God’s truth to people without their feeling like I’m hitting them over the head with the Bible.

Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the heritage You have given me of ancestors who loved and cherished the Bible, seeking to apply it and share it with others. Help me be increasingly effective at that same task, so that people may be drawn into Your family and Your children be built up and equipped, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!