Awaken Your Word in me
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your souses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors..
Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 40:8 I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.
Psalm 119:11, 15 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. . . . I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
Psalm 119:23, 26-27 Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. . . . . I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 119:33-36 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
Psalm 119:68-69 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.
Psalm 119:97–99 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies, I have more insight that all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
Proverbs 3:3-4 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 4:4-5 Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.
Proverbs 7:1-3 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 8:32 “Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways, listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.”
Jeremiah 31:33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts, I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Romans 2:14-15 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at 0ther times even defending them.
2 Corinthians 3:3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Hebrews 8:10 “This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”
How did you do in school memorizing things? I was not bad, especially if I liked the subject and the material. I cannot say the same about memorizing anything about Shakespeare’s works–I find the old English confusing, so put little effort into memorizing that kind of literature. But I liked arithmetic, math, science, history, and reading–so once my brain could put those patterns together, my memory for those facts were good.
I am not, and have not ever been good at remembering names. That annoys me to no end. It always surprises me when a relative stranger remembers my name. It is an honor and a gift, to have others remember my name. It is one of my frequent prayers to remember others’ names. But I am not good at it. I do much better if I can spend a few minutes getting to know the person, rather than a brief hello while passing, after a brief introduction.
I was not good memorizing words of songs or even the title of many songs, so well, although I would have the tunes and repeat those over and over. But since I couldn’t remember the words, I would frequently make up my own, so then when the time came to sing–I would sing the wrong words. Therefore, I learned to sing quietly–unless the words were printed either in a book or via video screen.
But memorizing God’s words is different. I am not always great with chapter and verse, but I can repeat the verse, if not verbatim, it is very close. But, thankfully, the Holy Spirit does pull into my mind many verses and promises, and comforting messages for others. He has imprinted many of those important words in my mind and heart. Often, when I am feeling down and out (have bought into the moments when Satan is attacking me), I remember a verse, then rebuke Satan and tell him he has NO business in my life. MOVE ON. Thank you, Holy Spirit for bringing my memory and heart back into proper alignment. I would probably drown with worry, anxiety, and unease if I did not know God and have many verses and promises imprinted within my heart and mind. It was a very anxious time full of unease and fearful of the next “fall” or “trouble” to descend in my life. Until I dug deeper into a relationship with Jesus.
When I think back to the floundering in life I did before, I am so thankful I have grown closer to Him. I do not like actual ink tattoos very much, but I love the fact that many verses are imprinted in my mind and heart. It has made life so much easier, smoother. Although we attended church regularly when we were growing up, it was not a church dedicated to children’s stories and how they could done for children to remember and be in awe of the conflicts, the mistakes, and the love and forgiveness of God. It was staid and no surprise to me that my siblings and I all stopped going once we graduated and moved out of the house we grew up in.
I was fortunate to start dating a guy whose family was involved in the church, so would attend with them occasionally and certainly liked it better than the one I was familiar with, but I still did not know about relationship. God was still somewhat scary and judgmental and I felt as though I would NEVER measure up. He was stern, always looking for sins, not lovingly correcting, not there with any problems. My background doubted Him and love–and He had to be way too busy to worry or tend to my daily issues. I could be Peter saying to the Lord, “Depart from me; I am a sinful (wo)man.” (Luke 5:8). How little I knew, and sometimes still don’t know. But I know He loves me, He is with me, He wants the best for me, and will work things out so the best comes to pass.
But I wish I had known much earlier about churches that engage their members and children, and about children’s camps and learning about Jesus, and accepting Him at a young age. I wish I had been able to offer that to my children. Instead, I talk and share, with my children and siblings, they nod politely, (sometimes with a smirk and a roll of the eyes) and there is no depth of information accepted by them. So I continue to pray for them several times throughout the days, and find comfort in the fact that God wants no one to perish, that no seed goes unnoticed–because of free will and worldly cares, it may not be accepted–but it is landed–and hopefully sprouted, that He supplies others to also share the Word. And because my family all know my many faults, I think it is easy for them to think, “well she may believe in God, but she still has lots of faults. . .” And they are right. But they look at life through a worldly lens, and not as the fact that all of our lives will end–and some will be entirely unexp0ected–accident, murder, so other horrific event, and then there is no time to accept. But he has made it clear in his Word–2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:4, Ezekiel 33:11. He makes it clear we have free choice, but God yearns for us to choose Him, repent and confess our sins, and accept Jesus as our Savior since Jesus willingly died on the cross so that WE could be justified through Him. Most of my family do not get it, and choose not to discuss. So I can only pray others will help lead and encourage them. I regret only that I found the Way as an adult instead of as a child and could attend and active biblical church for them. But, I do know God has a plan, and He answers prayers when they are said with gratitude and with belief. So my family is in His hands.
Thank you, Father for pursuing me and letting me rest in you, for teaching me your ways and having many of your words imprinted within my heart. I am so thankful for all you have given me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Comments