"YOUR WORD!"

Psalms 119:9-12                        (ESV)
"9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to "YOUR WORD".
10 With my whole heart I seek YOU; let me not wander from YOUR commandments!
11 I have stored up "YOUR WORD" in my heart, that I might not sin against YOU.
12 Blessed are YOU, O LORD; teach me YOUR statutes!"



It is amazing how GOD continues to use things from early in my life to mold me today, at almost 56 years of age!  Memories of going to Bible School before I was is grade school at a church near our house and learning a scripture verse saying something about "I will hide HIS Word in my heart that I may not sin against HIM" came into my mind during a recent sermon at my church.  The content of that verse remained clear in my mind even though the location of the verse may have slipped.  That I was so young when I was taught the verse is a testament to my upbringing, for going to church is usually not on a child's list of favorite things to do.

How is it that I never had the urge nor desire to "party" and experience the wilder things in life?  Could it be, whether it was done so with intent or not, GOD's Word was placed inside my heart at a young age and it guided me away from some of the snares and dangerous places in my life?  Although I tried to run my life at such a pace that had little time for GOD or HIS Ways, I always seemed to return to the work HE had for me.  But first I had to experience trying to do things within my own strength and prove how much I was in control of how my life was going.

When my brain hemorrhaged in 2007 it was almost two years before I could return to work.  There was PLENTY of time for me to pray and meditate over those 24 months. Seeing how much I was "out-of-control" of myself when I couldn't even get a sentence out of my mouth correctly was a REAL eye-opener!  My "quiet-time" since has become tremendously more intimate, and in doing so, realizing how much GOD IS IN CONTROL has been manifested so plainly to me.  Storing up "YOUR WORD" in my heart has become a by-product of my quiet time as the more I refer to GOD's Word the more I remember a verse and where it is located.  And when I find myself looking for an answer to a tough question, I know scripture is where I can go to find peace and solace.  For instance, Psalms 119:71 says "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes".  Being not able to work for two years gave me a lot of time to hear from GOD, something I now wish I had done a lot more of.   Not only do I wish I had spent more time in prayer, but I also wish I had spent a LOT MORE TIME in "YOUR WORD" during my recovery!

Storing up "YOUR WORD" in my heart is something you can't get enough of.  How many times have I spoken too quickly and regretted it later?  Had enough time been invested in "YOUR WORD", my quick, sharp tongue may have been a little slower and kinder?  GOD not only did a miraculous work in my physical recovery from the brain hemorrhage, HE SLOWED MY LIFE in ways that I could never adequately describe.  While it is true my word recall still isn't what it used to be, searching for just the right word makes me consider the effects those words may have, and often they get changed or simply omitted from my selection.  Without a conscious effort, I may be replacing my words with "YOUR WORD", and that is always a good thing!!!