Hide it in Your Heart

As someone who is passionate about memorizing Scripture, this is one verse I tend to quote especially often. Not only does it beautifully reflect David's own love for the Word of God, but it sets an example of memorization that we as Christians are called to follow today. David obviously understood that the transforming power of Scripture is greatest when we allow it to work from the inside out, rather than vice-versa.

What I find most interesting about this verse, however, is the exact words David used when writing about his commitment to Scripture memory. Notice that he didn't talk about the words of God that were hidden in his mind, or the words he had simply learned to recite; instead he said they were hidden in his heart, where he knew they were safe and most effective in keeping him from the sin he sought to avoid.

But what's the difference between hiding God's Word in our hearts and simply hiding it in our heads? Can you really do one without doing the other, and if so, what makes hiding it in our hearts the better option? I believe Matthew Henry answers these questions best in his commentary on the Bible:

"If we have [the Word] only in our houses and hands, enemies may take it from us; if only in our heads, our memories may fail us: but if our hearts be delivered into the mould of it, and the impressions of it remain on our souls, it is safe."

Memorizing Scripture must be about more than simply achieving word-perfect accuracy that may fade with old age, or the sense of accomplishment you feel after reciting a new passage or chapter accurately for the first time. These things can certainly serve as motivators along the way, but our ultimate goal should always be allowing God's Word to "create in us a clean heart" and transform us into the image of His Son (Ps. 51:10). By treating memory work as just another step in our daily routine, we're robbing ourselves of the great joy Jesus described when He said "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." (Jn. 13:17)

What about you? What methods or principles have you found to be helpful in staying focused on the eternal aspect of Scripture memorization, and not just the practical goals you may set for yourself?