February 10th, 2025
By: Amanda Allums
This past month many of us fasted and started a yearly Bible plan or study so I felt led to talk about hiding God’s Word in our hearts. What does that mean and how do we do it? When I think of hiding something, I think of putting it somewhere where no one can find it. But that is not the type of hiding that God is referring to. He is referring to our hearts being the hiding place so we know where it is and we can allow the Word to transform us and be the source we pull from when making decisions. Upon reflection, my only other question was, “Does this mean memorizing scripture word for word with book, verse and all?”
Soon after I asked God this question, I stumbled upon a sermon where the pastor gave an analogy about reading the Bible and I absolutely clung to it because, if anyone can relate to not being able to memorize exact scripture references, it is me. I have often felt guilty about this so this pastor’s analogy made me feel so much less inadequate and I hope it helps you too if you can relate to my struggle.
He said, when we eat, we may not remember what we ate a year from now or even what we ate on a specific day a week ago, but the effects of the food have impacted our bodies one way or another. That is because we eat to fuel and nourish our bodies, not to remember every detail about the food we ate. The food we eat can heal us, hurt us, and transform our bodies for better or for worse, but it does that whether we remember what we ate or not.
The same is true when we read our Bible. When we read our Bible, we are feeding our spirit in that moment and allowing it to minister to us in whatever season we are in. We pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, speak to us, and allow the scripture to teach us. We may not memorize the exact scripture reference of what we read, but that is okay, as long as we apply it in context, learn from it, and allow it to feed our spirit and hide it in our heart. There is a reason the Bible is called the bread of life; it is food for our spirit. It can heal us, transform us, and give us an eternal mindset to not only help ourselves, but others as well. Just like the food we eat, it impacts us one way or another whether we remember what we “ate” or not. If it penetrates our heart and mind, then just like fuel for our body, it is there when we need it.
John 6:49-51 says, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
It is an honorable task to memorize scripture, in fact, I have way more memorized than when I first began reading my Bible at age 18, I just don’t make that my primary focus when doing my Bible studies. Keep in mind that there is a difference between memorizing scripture and hiding the Word in your heart.
Psalm 119:10-13 says, “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.”
God desires us to keep His commands and walk according to His Word and the only way to do that is to understand what we are reading and apply it to our lives so that we may not sin against Him. Jesus does not require us to be able to spout off the Bible like the Pharisees, but He does require us to be diligent students, love Him, and strive to be the person He created us to be. That can only come from the Holy Spirit. So be encouraged if it does not come as easy to you as it does for others. Keep feeding your spirit and hiding the Word in your heart and the memorization will come later as long as you stay in your Word.
This past month many of us fasted and started a yearly Bible plan or study so I felt led to talk about hiding God’s Word in our hearts. What does that mean and how do we do it? When I think of hiding something, I think of putting it somewhere where no one can find it. But that is not the type of hiding that God is referring to. He is referring to our hearts being the hiding place so we know where it is and we can allow the Word to transform us and be the source we pull from when making decisions. Upon reflection, my only other question was, “Does this mean memorizing scripture word for word with book, verse and all?”
Soon after I asked God this question, I stumbled upon a sermon where the pastor gave an analogy about reading the Bible and I absolutely clung to it because, if anyone can relate to not being able to memorize exact scripture references, it is me. I have often felt guilty about this so this pastor’s analogy made me feel so much less inadequate and I hope it helps you too if you can relate to my struggle.
He said, when we eat, we may not remember what we ate a year from now or even what we ate on a specific day a week ago, but the effects of the food have impacted our bodies one way or another. That is because we eat to fuel and nourish our bodies, not to remember every detail about the food we ate. The food we eat can heal us, hurt us, and transform our bodies for better or for worse, but it does that whether we remember what we ate or not.
The same is true when we read our Bible. When we read our Bible, we are feeding our spirit in that moment and allowing it to minister to us in whatever season we are in. We pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, speak to us, and allow the scripture to teach us. We may not memorize the exact scripture reference of what we read, but that is okay, as long as we apply it in context, learn from it, and allow it to feed our spirit and hide it in our heart. There is a reason the Bible is called the bread of life; it is food for our spirit. It can heal us, transform us, and give us an eternal mindset to not only help ourselves, but others as well. Just like the food we eat, it impacts us one way or another whether we remember what we “ate” or not. If it penetrates our heart and mind, then just like fuel for our body, it is there when we need it.
John 6:49-51 says, “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
It is an honorable task to memorize scripture, in fact, I have way more memorized than when I first began reading my Bible at age 18, I just don’t make that my primary focus when doing my Bible studies. Keep in mind that there is a difference between memorizing scripture and hiding the Word in your heart.
Psalm 119:10-13 says, “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.”
God desires us to keep His commands and walk according to His Word and the only way to do that is to understand what we are reading and apply it to our lives so that we may not sin against Him. Jesus does not require us to be able to spout off the Bible like the Pharisees, but He does require us to be diligent students, love Him, and strive to be the person He created us to be. That can only come from the Holy Spirit. So be encouraged if it does not come as easy to you as it does for others. Keep feeding your spirit and hiding the Word in your heart and the memorization will come later as long as you stay in your Word.
2 Comments
Thank you
This is exactly how I am. I remember some scripture, book, chapter & verse and others I don’t. But it does have a effect on me at that time and I believe does the work intended. Thank you for sharing!