As January 2014 approached, I broke my own rule. The rule about how I do not make New Year’s resolutions. I decided that THIS year, I would make one—just one—and that would be a resolution to draw closer to Jesus through memorizing His Word.
I still wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, but picked out a verse to be my first project—Isaiah 26:3, which reads “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” It was an easy enough verse, and seemed to me like the direction I want my life to go—perfect peace, through trusting in Him. Little did I realize how quickly this verse would be put to the test.
Just a few days after memorizing this verse, without realizing anything was amiss, I drove the few miles from our house to the local college where my husband teaches and our son attends as a student. I was supposed to pick up our son and take him home. When I arrived on campus, I found the entire college on a lock-down due to a bomb threat. My son texted me that he was not allowed to leave his classroom and had no idea when he would be able to.
I realized I probably shouldn’t stay at the college with our nine year old in the car, so I drove to a nearby parking lot to think.
“You will keep him in perfect peace. . . ”
A friend called me on my cell phone from Texas, asking what was going on. Her two daughters were also in the lock-down on the campus. We prayed together over the phone.
“whose mind is stayed on you. . . ”
I remembered my husband was in the main administration building, which rumor said was the main target of the threat. And he had forgotten his cell phone at home that morning.
“because he trusts in you.”
After several hours the all-clear signal was given, and the person who made the threat was taken into custody. Supposedly, this was all a joke. Anything can happen at any time in our world today. But I have realized that it is not “my” job to have perfect peace, but God’s job to keep me in that peace. My job is to keep my mind on Him.
I am just a beginning memorizer. God led me to the Hide His Word Facebook group which has been a huge encouragement. With this group I have successfully memorized my first chapter, Isaiah 55, and just this week have started memorizing John 15. With Him, nothing is impossible!
Ellen G. White writes in her book, Steps to Christ, “No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest.” page 100
Hi Susan,
I am so glad that you are hiding Gods promises in your heart, and whole chapters as well! God will bless your effort and use His Word just when you or someone else needs it most, as you have already shared. I just read John 15,&16 this morning. John 15 is one of my favorite chapters:-).
Annemarie
Thank you for the encouragement, Annemarie! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story, Susan. I feel such a blessing when we take God’s word out of His Book, the Bible, and use it in our every day living and going about lives. It’s so relevant and so necessary as your story demonstrates.
You are SO right, Jane! Isn’t it amazing how once we learn a passage of Scripture, all of a sudden we see examples of it popping up all over in our lives? Connections we would have totally missed if we had never hidden that scripture in our hearts!
Hi Susan. God’s timing amazes me. And his guidance. You were prompted to make that resolution, nudged to pick that verse, and pointed to it in that crisis. And he showed you that peace comes FROM him when your mind is fixed on him. I am so glad you saw that. And what better way to keep our minds on him than by memorizing his word. Press on, Susan. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you, Richie! God constantly amazes me with how He does that!
I love that verse. I am adding it to my memory verse list. Perfect peace sounds like a luxury that is hard to attain and it is. However, like you said, it is not to be attained but received from The Father– to keep me in that perfect peace.
Yes, Sheila!
God has so many good gifts He wants to give us–but I know I am usually running ahead of Him instead of looking TO Him whenever I face a problem.
Beautiful, Susan. I love how God uses His word to help us. I too am so blessed by memorizing scripture, even though it is very hard for me. Even the process is a blessing.
Yes, Barbara!
Reading Janet Pope’s book really opened my eyes to those pockets of time I could be using for memorizing–though it is not an automatic habit for me yet. Sometimes for my brain it almost feels impossible–but I know with God it isn’t.
Your story is such a powerful testimony of the supernatural power of Gods Word.
But, (TAKE NOTE PEOPLE!)… I have to also say that you CHOSE to meditate on it when the Spirit brought it to mind, and that is something we all need to remember.
I’m gonna be brutally honest, I have many chapters under my belt having started 5 years ago, but I know me. Had I been in your situation, I think I might have hyperventilated myself into a coma—I would have been so frightened. So your story really made me see that we have to not only memorize, but make the CONSCIOUS choice to meditate on what we have memorized when the Spirit brings it to mind. He isn’t bringing it to mind cuz He has nothing better to do.
Thank you for sharing. I’m very excited for you that you are doing so well with memorizing already, and I’m grateful that your story ministered to me.
Thank you!
Thank you, Cherie!
Trust me–my reaction was not MY normal reaction! But that’s what is so precious about memorizing Scripture–it changes us. While I do hope for less exciting ways to learn the lessons God knows I need, at the same time I long for my automatic response to be meditating on His promises or instruction in whatever circumstance I find myself in.
I love that Isaiah 26:3 was the verse you had chosen to memorize because it’s one I chose awhile back myself. But I’m not sure I’d ever thought of this insight you share:
“But I have realized that it is not “my” job to have perfect peace, but God’s job to keep me in that peace. My job is to keep my mind on Him.”
That is so true, Susan. Thanks for sharing this. And thanks for being part of our Hide His Word group. You’ve been such a blessing there!
Thank YOU, Lisa!
For all the many hours you put into the Facebook group–and for how you are always there with an encouraging word. God has blessed me through you! I would like to memorize the entire chapter of Isaiah 26–but for now I will keep plugging away on John 15. I may be the “tortoise” and not the “hare,” but I try and remember which one won the race! 😉
Susan, thank you so much for sharing your story! I have found this to be true as well. The time spend in memorization is rewarded by our faithful God by bringing the truth of it to us in real life. His Word is such a gift that gives and gives. I, too, love the insight you shared about God’s promise and our role of keeping our minds on Him.
Thank you, Vickie! Yes–God is SO faithful!
Susan,
Thank you for sharing your story. It is amazing how the Lord knows ahead of us what we will need. The verse you were memorizing was exactly what you needed. EGW is one of my favorite authors as well. I live in Memphis. Please feel free to email me, if you’d like, at carmenwcole@yahoo.com
God bless,
Carmen
Thank you, Carmen! If only I didn’t forget that God always knows what I need ahead of when I need it! But He is faithful! Nice to meet another EGW fan!
Susan, Thanks for your bright encouraging testimony. Is. 26:3 is a favorite landing place for me too. In The King James Version, Is. 26:3 says: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” Time and again I find myself troubled, thinking about me or some situation or who knows what. My mind is often “stayed on me” and not “stayed on Thee” Praise God who reminds me, my peace is found when my mind is thinking about Him – when my mind is stayed on Him. I can best do this steadily when I recite my memorized passages or learn new ones. This always brings me peace. I need God. I need His peace. Peace, Mark Z
Mark–I do this ALL the time! The keeping my mind “stayed on me” and not “stayed on Thee!” Maybe someday I will learn and simply KEEP my mind stayed on God. Good thing He is patient and faithful! Thank you for the encouragement–I am only a beginner memorizer, but already see the benefits and how this is truly the only way I can keep my mind on Him!