Boice on Scripture Memory
Psalm 119:11
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
Scripture has the power to change lives. I noted in an earlier post that the heart has an infinite ability to feel and express love. Now the psalmist opens the window to his heart a little more so we can see how he is pursuing God. In this verse we have one of the most vivid pictures of what scripture memory should be. Too often we associate the discipline of scripture memory with the mind. However, memorizing scripture is primarily a work of the heart and secondarily, a work of the mind.
The mind may comprehend the need for change, but it is the heart which affects the change. In order to accomplish this we must understand the context of the passage we are attempting to memorize. Who is speaking? Who is he speaking to? What is the historical context? What application does this passage afford? These are just a few questions that need to be answered if we are going to make the head-heart-hand connection with a passage of Scripture. Ultimately, our goal is to move from the head and heart to the hand. Without making the head-heart-hand connection we are not fulfilling the biblical intent for hiding God's Word in our hearts, which is to mortify sin.
You can see this in the psalmist's purpose for hiding God's word in his heart - so that he might not sin against God. Do you desire to eradicate sin from your life? As Christians this desire is a non-negotiable, it is what we must do. By hiding God's word in our hearts we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to grow in personal holiness and honor God through obedience. James Boice observes that in this passage "memorizing is precisely what is called for, since it is only when the Word of God is readily available in our minds that we are able to recall it in moments of need and profit by it."[1] Psalm 119:11 is a great passage to start with, for it will encourage and empower you as you hide more of God's word in your heart!