I am a Christian.
I was raised in a Christian home, and I became a born again believer when I was four years old. According to a lot of sermons that I have heard, just saying that first line is very difficult for most Christians. I am not sure why, really, because God is the best thing in my life. Given the fact that my cells constantly regenerate, I will (physically) never be completely the same person. Call me a geek, but I think that kind of thing is interesting. Furthermore, it helps to drive home the point that God really is the only consistent thing in my life.
I have been through a lot of hard stuff, and through it all, God has been my refuge, and my great source of unspeakable strength. There are many days of my life on which I look back and see God's presence so strongly beside me, because if it had not been for Him, I would literally not be here right now. Let's leave it at that.
While in high school, I memorized Psalm 139 from the Bible in the New International Version (NIV). It was one of my favourite passages of scripture, and it still is to this day. When I decided to memorize this passage, I did so because I relished the thought that God knew me so intimately. It talks a lot about how God formed us each specifically and with much detail. When I felt insecure and low in self worth, this gave me purpose, knowing that I was put together by the very hands of God. That had to mean I was worth something good. He not only designed me, but He put together every detail of all the parts of me that go beyond the physical - my soul, my spirit and my emotions.
Memorizing scripture has one major benefit, and that is that when we memorize something, it is forever with us. Nobody can ever take that thought away from us, even if the written words are physically stolen from us. Another one of the Psalms says this: "I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." - (Psalm 119:11) By memorizing God's word, we are hiding it in our hearts where nobody can steal it. We have it there to protect us and to guide us. We can quote scripture to encourage others. We can quote scripture to build up our own faith when we are being taken over by fear or confusion.
However, simply memorizing scripture is not always very effective. Sometimes, when we memorize words, we are just memorizing the words and not the meaning. For instance, there is a Catholic prayer of blessing that is spoken before each meal by all who are about to eat. From what I have witnessed, this prayer is often spoken very quickly. The words are thanking God for the bounty with which He blesses us. Sometimes I wonder if that prayer is even considered for its meaning, and not just rushed through as a formality that must be done in order to get to the food.
I have been guilty of doing this - memorizing words and not fully embracing their meaning. I had all of Psalm 139 committed to memory. I knew the words. The full meaning did not hit me until recently. This is not to say that I didn't pay attention to the words. It is more that I knew the words, and as I grew older and gained more life experience, I was able to grasp the importance of the words. There is a part in which the Psalmist says of God, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast." When I first memorized these words, it was encouraging to know that wherever I went, God would be with me. Now, it means so much more to me than that! I have lost friends and family. I have been poor and hungry. I have been without a job. I have been lost and confused. I have run away from God and done what was right in my own eyes. I have come back to God and put my will back in His hands. Through ALL of this, God has been right there. In some of my lowest and darkest moments, when I could barely hold myself together, God held me tight in His arms so that even as I was falling apart, I was held together. His Spirit indwells me, and that is why no matter where I go, no matter what I go through, I can never fall too far that He can't reach me to pick me back up again.
I was raised in a Christian home, and I became a born again believer when I was four years old. According to a lot of sermons that I have heard, just saying that first line is very difficult for most Christians. I am not sure why, really, because God is the best thing in my life. Given the fact that my cells constantly regenerate, I will (physically) never be completely the same person. Call me a geek, but I think that kind of thing is interesting. Furthermore, it helps to drive home the point that God really is the only consistent thing in my life.
I have been through a lot of hard stuff, and through it all, God has been my refuge, and my great source of unspeakable strength. There are many days of my life on which I look back and see God's presence so strongly beside me, because if it had not been for Him, I would literally not be here right now. Let's leave it at that.
While in high school, I memorized Psalm 139 from the Bible in the New International Version (NIV). It was one of my favourite passages of scripture, and it still is to this day. When I decided to memorize this passage, I did so because I relished the thought that God knew me so intimately. It talks a lot about how God formed us each specifically and with much detail. When I felt insecure and low in self worth, this gave me purpose, knowing that I was put together by the very hands of God. That had to mean I was worth something good. He not only designed me, but He put together every detail of all the parts of me that go beyond the physical - my soul, my spirit and my emotions.
Memorizing scripture has one major benefit, and that is that when we memorize something, it is forever with us. Nobody can ever take that thought away from us, even if the written words are physically stolen from us. Another one of the Psalms says this: "I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." - (Psalm 119:11) By memorizing God's word, we are hiding it in our hearts where nobody can steal it. We have it there to protect us and to guide us. We can quote scripture to encourage others. We can quote scripture to build up our own faith when we are being taken over by fear or confusion.
However, simply memorizing scripture is not always very effective. Sometimes, when we memorize words, we are just memorizing the words and not the meaning. For instance, there is a Catholic prayer of blessing that is spoken before each meal by all who are about to eat. From what I have witnessed, this prayer is often spoken very quickly. The words are thanking God for the bounty with which He blesses us. Sometimes I wonder if that prayer is even considered for its meaning, and not just rushed through as a formality that must be done in order to get to the food.
I have been guilty of doing this - memorizing words and not fully embracing their meaning. I had all of Psalm 139 committed to memory. I knew the words. The full meaning did not hit me until recently. This is not to say that I didn't pay attention to the words. It is more that I knew the words, and as I grew older and gained more life experience, I was able to grasp the importance of the words. There is a part in which the Psalmist says of God, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast." When I first memorized these words, it was encouraging to know that wherever I went, God would be with me. Now, it means so much more to me than that! I have lost friends and family. I have been poor and hungry. I have been without a job. I have been lost and confused. I have run away from God and done what was right in my own eyes. I have come back to God and put my will back in His hands. Through ALL of this, God has been right there. In some of my lowest and darkest moments, when I could barely hold myself together, God held me tight in His arms so that even as I was falling apart, I was held together. His Spirit indwells me, and that is why no matter where I go, no matter what I go through, I can never fall too far that He can't reach me to pick me back up again.
Thanks for "listening."
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