Things I Have Learned: God's Word

Psalm 119:11

As I lay in the MRI tube, and the pain was more than I thought I could bear, there were a lot of thoughts that ran through my mind. The words that came out of my mouth to the nurses were those of strength and determination, but the thoughts of my heart were of weakness and resignation. I told God that if He wanted to take me home, I was ready. Laying there, I had absolutely no access to a Bible. You are not allowed to move in an MRI anyway, but I was paralyzed and even if I had a Bible, I did not have the ability to read it. I had to thank God for His word in my heart that was such a comfort during those long hours.

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Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:11

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Throughout the different struggles of my sickness, I can honestly say that I was never afraid. I remembered the promise that Jesus said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). I felt His presence, especially during the most difficult times. As the paralysis was spreading up my body, my dad was giving me words of comfort. I told him that I was good no matter what because like Paul, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Probably not what he wanted to hear, but it was reassuring to me that no matter what happened, I had nothing to worry about. As I lay in pain in the MRI tube, I thought of the suffering on the cross of Jesus. This reminded me that we have a Savior who has faced all the temptations we will ever face, yet He did so without giving in to sin. As such, He is our mediator in Heaven who understands what we are going through, and yet He is God and can relate to the Father (Hebrews 4:15).

I did not remember all of the addresses (references) to those passages, but that was ok. The Word of God was what I needed. There were many other passages that came to mind as well. I realized in the midst of those trials, I needed God's Word in my heart. I needed to cling to those promises. I didn't want shallow, superficial slogans. I didn't want some self-help motivation. What brought me peace and comfort was God's Word hidden in my heart, and brought to remembrance by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

In most of my devotions, I present the truth of God's Word and leave it to you the reader to decide if you want to do anything with it. Today, I am going to exhort you to "hide" God's word in your heart. You will not know you need it until you need it. If it is not there, it will do you no good. I pray you never face anything like what I did, but there are many other circumstances that could result in you not having access to your Bible, or Bible app. While these can be taken, if it is in your memory, you will not lose it.

Father, I thank You for Your Holy Spirit that reminded me over and over again of Your Word in the middle of my trials. I thank You for Your faithfulness to do that which Jesus promised You would do. May this increase my faith in You and equip me for the journey that lies ahead.