Memorize God's Word

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 6
 
“Mine eyes anticipate the night-watches, that I may meditate in Thy word.” Psalm 119:148148Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word. (Psalm 119:148) JND
“I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.” Psalm 16:77I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. (Psalm 16:7)
“My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches. Because Thou hast been my help.” Psalm 63:5-75My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. (Psalm 63:5‑7)
“I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.” Psalm 77:66I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. (Psalm 77:6)
What can we do when we are nursing a baby at night or simply lying there in the dark unable to sleep? It can be an opportunity to meditate on the Word of God. What if we can’t turn the light on because it would wake our husband up or would keep us from getting back to sleep ourselves? In that case we need to plan ahead — hiding God’s word in our memory as well as our heart. There’s no doubt about it: memorization is work, for some of us hard work. But it is such a treat to be able to lie in bed at night and go through verses, whole chapters if we have memorized that much. I am so thankful I was encouraged to learn chapters when I was younger; and I still try to memorize even though my brain is rusty. (That’s a great reason to have our children memorize while it is still relatively easy!) Memorize with your children — recite the verses to each other weekly and then enjoy a fun activity together when the goal is reached. If you don’t have children with whom you can memorize, you might try inviting your husband or a friend to learn with you. But learn what you can, and meditate on verses you already know. “Every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night” (Song of Solomon 3:88They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. (Song of Solomon 3:8)). Keep the sword (the Word of God, Eph. 6:1717And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17)) handy so you can use it in the night. It’s quite a treasure!