Resolved to Change Part II

   I love books. They're like little friends standing to attention on my shelves. I know where each one is and when and where I bought each one. I can usually remember when I read a certain title too--what was going on in my life and how the book affected me. They loyally delight me time and time again. To love them is to dog-ear their pages like wrinkles on a face and to gingerly underline their text; to fold the cover back with ease and hold it in my hands. A well worn book is a well loved book. And so, I'm going to blog about books. I'm going to blog a lot about books!
   I owe my love (passion, obsession, fanaticism, idolatry--whatever) of books to my parents. From the earliest age, they read to me and I always remember seeing my mother with a book (still do). I have fond memories of cuddling up in my parents' bed after bath time and my father reading stories and chapter books to my brother and I. There is something melodious and comforting about hearing a man's voice read aloud. Wrapped up in that fairytale is security--a parent taking time to delight their children. I remember most of those stories to this day and when my children ask me to read to them--into our bed they go.
  I confess to you now that I've loved many books much more than the book of all books. I've read many books about the Bible as a substitution for reading the actual Bible. I've read books over and over and have failed to read thee greatest book all the way through even once. I'll push on through a tough read like Pynchon or Dostoevsky, but can't make it past the book of Judges in my yearly reading plan. I liken myself to heroines in a book and dream about living out their adventures. A complicated plot thrills me as I try to figure out the twists and turns and resolutions. I don't meditate on the Word. I remember favorite sentences that were written so beautifully that they've become etched in my mind. I can recall only a smattering of verses by heart and most of the time I get the reference wrong.
    I recently read a wonderful missionary biography called Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Diebler Rose. If you want a book that thrills your soul and reminds you of the power of our Almighty Father than this is the books for you. Darlene, a missionary to New Guinea, is taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese when World War II breaks out and the Dutch East Indies is occupied. I won't write of the many trials that she endures (YOU read the book), but one of the things that brings her comfort and ultimately sustains her very life is her love of the word and her commitment to memorize it. She writes:

 As a child and young person, I had a driving compulsion to memorize the written Word. In the cell I was grateful now for those days in Vacation Bible School, when I had memorized many single verses, complete chapters, and Psalms, as well as whole books of the Bible. In the years that followed, I reviewed the scriptures often. The Lord fed me with the Living Bread that had been stored against the day when fresh supply was cut off by the loss of my Bible. He brought daily comfort and encouragement-yes, and joy--to my heart through the knowledge of the Word.

Wow. You know, I'm in a war too. A different kind of war, but just as brutal. I'm fighting to raise my children in this morally desolate society. I'm fighting against Satan who tells me lies about myself and the character of my Lord. I'm fighting to keep myself centered in Christ when difficult times come and I feel like God's love is slipping away. I need to be fed with the Living Bread too.

   So, scripture memory is a new commitment I've made to God this year. It doesn't come naturally to me. I'd rather pray --no shocker that talking comes easily for me. I keep reminding myself that I don't have to do this alone. I have the gift of the Holy Spirit and I'm seeking His help. I'm praying that the Lord would fill me with a desire to memorize His word and to hold it in my heart above all else. And now I have to do the work. Whether it's in the carpool line or walking on the treadmill, I'm figuring in time to learn verses written on index cards. I want to arm myself for the battle. I want to equip myself to defend. I want to ready myself to evangelize.

 Joshua Choonmin Kang encourages this discipline in his book Scripture by Heart- Devotional Practices for Memorizing God's Word. He writes:

It's never too early, and never too late to begin a serious program of Scripture memory with a view to mastering the meaning of the Bible as a whole. Just know that you're not alone in the process. The Spirit plays his part, annointing our spirit, offering us the grace of his teaching.

Thank you, Lord for sending us your Word. Give me a yearning to read your message daily and to commit it to memory that I might be a light for you. Encourage me when I struggle. Give me opportunities to practice. Help me to always cherish your book as thee book. Amen.