Just the other night, this thought crossed my mind, “hiding God’s Word in your heart doesn’t equal memorizing random verses.”

This may seem like common knowledge to some but for someone who grew up with false ideas surrounding this topic, it was a compelling realization. 

Growing up, I was taught, or came to understand, that the way you hide God’s Word in your heart is simply committing as many verses to memory as possible. Sometimes in chapter form but, more often than not, just cherry picking random verses from all over the Scripture. 

This is not what I believe is meant by the verse commonly cited for such teachings. “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

Not to mention the more subtle implications of the teachings surrounding this topic. To the parents, it was implied that if you encouraged your kids to memorize as many verses as possible it would somehow either prevent them from becoming a prodigal or it would bring them back after becoming one. 

Again, this is not what I believe is meant by Psalm 119:11, or verses like Isaiah 55:11. To teach the like, is nothing more than prosperity parenting theology. 

Let me be upfront. There is no verse that has the power in and of itself to rescue the prodigal and radially change a heart. It is Jesus Christ alone who holds that power. It is astounding to me that we would attribute His power to the words on a page rather than the person who spoke them. It may seem like a small and meaningless distinction but I find it to be important. 

What of the languages around the world who have yet to receive a full translation of the Bible? Are the prodigals of that tribe and tongue doomed without the words we recite in our western churches today? By no means. God’s Word is valuable and to be upheld with utmost reverence but I will not worship it above the Creator. 

I do not pray to the Scripture to save. I pray to the Savior. 

Now, back to the first point. Let me ask you a question? Have you memorized verses in the past, maybe a few or maybe hundreds, that you cannot recall to this day? I know I have. 

Maybe you can recall the verse but do you know the context of the passage surrounding that one verse? Do you understand the message’s meaning in the original language? Has it shaped your life? Has it changed you? Does the memory of it bond your heart to His? Does the recalling of it strengthen your faith? 

Rote memory should never have been the ultimate goal. 

In Psalm 119:11, the original Hebrew word for the phrase “in my heart” is “lēḇ”, (לֵב – pronounced “lave”) and it means “the heart; also used very widely for the feelings, the will, and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything”.

What does this reveal? Hiding God’s Words in our heart is so much more than simply memorizing words on a page like one would memorize the times tables in school. In fact, what good would memorizing the times tables be if you didn’t know how to apply that knowledge to a math equation? Likewise, if you memorize words without meaning, context, the true message, the application—what good is it?

David even asserts in the surrounding verses things like… 

“with my whole heart I seek you”

“with my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth”

“I will mediate on your precepts”

“In the way of your testimony I delight”

“I will delight in your statues; I will not forget your word”

These imply that He wants the Words of God to permeate his life—inside and outside. The message here is that we ought to make God’s Words, and what it teaches, the very essence of our life. It should impact and be wrapped up in our feelings, our will, and our intellect. Memorizing, meditating, reading, and studying God’s Words should impact our inner and outer man. This is what the word lēḇ communicates. 

So when teaching this passage in churches, or to young people, I firmly believe that the emphasis should be less upon the act of memorization but on understanding, frequency, and transformation. 

If I were to paraphrase Psalms 119:11 and the surrounding verses, it would sound something like this….

“Hide God’s Word in your heart, read it, understand it, and let it change you. Then you will find yourself further from sin and closer to the Savior. Let the Word sanctify you, leading you to be less inclined to sin and more inclined to live according to His Word.” 

No matter what, it should be our love for the Savior that compels us to love and follow His Word. Flip flopping that hierarchy doesn’t lead to beauty, but rather, disappointment.