Psalms 119.19 : I have hidden Your word in my heart, so I might not sin against You. Typically when we think of the word hide it means to conceal something from others. But here it is describing our need to make God's word part of our being. God is telling us to consider His precious words as great treasures and store it in our hearts.
Why should we hide them?
God knows that we are sinners and it is in our nature to sin against Him. Having God's word hidden help us to fight against sin. God's word can be drawn out like a sword from its sheath and can be used to fight against the evil in our lives.(Ephesians 6:17).
That's why regular reading, studying, memorizing and reciting God's word is essential. Personally for last few years I have been memorizing God's word.
When I was young , I remember memorizing scriptures for the Sunday school classes. I have learned a lot of verses and working hard to memorize the Lord's prayer and Psalms 23. Somewhere along the way, as I got older , memorizing scripture lost its appeal. Here is what I have learned over the past few years: I must memorize scriptures and hide it deep inside of me if I am going to pray effectively and gain victory during my trials.
Fear is one of the great challenge that I face, one day I was confronted with a situation that made me so fearful and anxious inside. I know God is with me and will help me but at the same time the memorized scripture from 2 Timothy 1:7 (For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and self disciple) came to mind. I started reciting it over and over again. This was so powerful and I could feel power of fear loosing its effect.
Another time, I was worried about my child's health. Anxiously awaiting what the doctor is going to say made me feel nervous and doubt God. Holy spirit made me remember these words of Jesus to Mary in John 11:40 "If you believe you will see the glory of God. It helped me uplift my faith again and to ask forgiveness for my disbelief.
Some tips to memorize scriptures
1.Choose your verse or verses based on a need in your life.
2. Write the word : spend some time writing out these verses you are memorizing. This act of reading and copying it down on a paper will help your brain to remember the words.
3. Reciting it over or sing the verse over and over again.
4.Draw the word: This also works for memorizing scripture.
What do we fill our minds with ? How many scripture treasures are you hiding in your heart? Telling yourself the truth from God's word will help you grow your faith and make you spiritually strong.