Remember the Word of the Lord

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.“ (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

God’s word is vital to life and memorization of His word serves as a guide in everyday living. During Old Testament times, Jewish men would bind a small leather box (a phylactery) to their forehead during Morning Prayer as a reminder to keep the law. It was external tool that served as an internal prompting to remember.

Memory matters and it matters for a number of reasons. Memory teaches discipline and helps our mind to focus. With so many ways of easily accessing information, using our brains has become passé and quite frankly, we’ve become a bit lazy when it comes to using our mind. Have you considered what could happen if the Internet goes down or you can’t google it? We need memory. It helps us to learn, to gain knowledge and in becoming wise. And when it comes to scripture, it is vital because it encourages especially when we need to hear from God. And if we ever needed to hear from God we certainly need to hear from Him in these troubling times.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).”