Hid In My Heart
[The following article, an edited and expanded version of a previous post, was published in the May-June 2011 issue of Maidens of the Master, an e-magazine edited by a young friend from our church. Email me to subscribe.]
It is early morning, and all outdoors is shimmering green and gold, and full of birdsong—the crooning of doves and the jubilation of a mockingbird. The screen door slaps shut behind me, and I walk across the dewy lawn, clutching my Bible and a small black box. I find a good place to sit on the ground, and prop my back against a post of the garden house. A pearly moth glimmers in the wet grass and weeds; sheets of bedewed gossamer stretch between the blades. I snap open the black box and pull an index card from behind the divider labelled “Nineteen,” the day of the month. On the card is written in my own careful handwriting the words of Psalm 1.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful: For his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night…
I recite to myself the entire first psalm and replace the card behind its divider. I pull out the card from behind the divider labelled “Tuesday,” the day of the week. Job 28:12-28. I begin:
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof…
I replace the card, and pull another from behind the divider labelled “Odd”—again, the day of the month. Isaiah 55.
Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money on that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness…
My last card for the morning comes from behind the divider labelled “Daily.” I am learning Isaiah 58, a long but satisfying passage (three cards long, the longest I have yet attempted). I recite as much as I can from the entire chapter, glancing now and again at the cards in my hand to confirm the exact wording. I do the whole two or three times, until I notice a firmer grasping on the order and wording. I will practice more tomorrow.
...Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.1 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am…
The Lord has blessed me with a good memory. When I first began methodically memorizing longer passages of Scripture, I progressed quickly down the checklist. The difficulty came when I had ten or so lengthy passages and less and less time to review them all. I worried that I would forget to review some of my passages, and so forget them entirely. The system I discovered to resolve this problem is simple yet very effective.
In a small index box I have arranged forty-one index card dividers. They are labeled “Daily, “Odd,” “Even,” the days of the week, and the dates of the month (1 to 31). I have an additional divider labeled “To Learn.” I choose a Scripture passage (or hymn, song, or poem) to memorize, copy it neatly on a lined index card, and place it behind the “Daily” divider. I practice the passage every day until I have it committed to memory. Then, I place the card behind either the “Odd” or “Even” dividers. I practice that passage every other day, and I add a new card behind “Daily” to practice every day. As I continue to accumulate new cards, the first card will migrate through the days of the week, and then the days of the month. (A passage that is very well known may go behind the divider marked 31, and will be reviewed only seven times in a year.)
I am very satisfied with the steady progress I have made with this system over the last two years. It ensures that I do not forget to review any of my passages; at the end of every month I will have reviewed all the passages I know as well as added new ones. This has become such a pleasant and instructive part of my morning habits.
The memory is a limited resource, so it makes sense to apply William Morris’s golden maxim, slightly adapted: “Commit nothing to memory except that which you know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Here is a simple list of these best things.
Scripture: It is better to learn entire portions of Scripture rather than to squirrel away snippets. There is a richness of context and meaning which we lose when we only memorize a verse or two. Contrary what may be your first impression, I have found it easier to remember an entire succession of thought, rather than many disjointed fragments.
Hymns: The Scriptures tell us to make music in our hearts continually before the Lord. The best hymns are those abounding in praise to God and in doctrinal instruction. You can learn a stanza or two from all your favorites, or you can find and memorize all ten stanzas! Visit HymnTime.com to see the internet’s most complete collection of Christian hymns.
Catechism: A catechism is a series of questions and answers about faith and doctrine, designed to help Christians understand and develop Biblically-based belief. Each point should be defended by Scriptural proofs. Two of my favorite catechisms are the Westminister Shorter Catechism and the Heidelberg Catechism.
Besides Scripture, hymns, and some catechism, I have learned a number of favorite poems and folk songs. Anything you want to learn by heart can be added to your memory box. Remember Philippians 4:8 as your standard: “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
“Thy word I have hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” [Psalm 119:11] God’s Word, hid in our hearts, will instruct, reprove, comfort, and edify us even when we can’t reach our Bibles. Whether we face times of tribulation, temptation, or joy, God’s Word has power to bless his people. I pray that this article will have been a means in your life to further the ministry of God’s Word. May we praise him together for his Holy and effectual Word, entrusted to us!
Mothers, if you have younger children, why not begin a family Scripture box? Learn and review passages together as part of daily family devotions.
Credit goes to Mrs. Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason for introducing me to this wonderfully effective memory system.
What is in my memory box? Do you need help deciding what to memorize? Everyone will have his own opinions and preferences, but perhaps you’ll get some ideas from seeing what’s in my own box.
I’m reviewing....
Scripture
Catechism
•Questions 1-8 in Westminister Shorter Catechism
Hymns
•“Come Thou, Almighty King”
•“I Come to the Cross/ Yo Voy a La Cruz”
•“Joy to the World”
•“The Lord’s My Shepherd”
•“To God Be the Glory”
Poetry
•“Addressed to a Young Lady” (William Cowper)
•“Block City” (Robert Lewis Stevenson)
•“The Philosopher’s Garden” (John Oxenham)
•“Prologue” from Evangeline (William Wadsworth Longfellow)
•“The Rhodora” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
•“The Swing” (Robert Lewis Stevenson)
•“To the Skylark” (William Wordsworth)
•“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” (Walter Whitman)
Folk Song
•“Billy Boy” (traditional American)
•“Down By the Salley Gardens” (William Butler Yeats)
•“A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go” (traditional English)
•“Mr. Frog Went a-Courtin’” (traditional American)
•“The Minstrel Boy” (Thomas Moore)
•“Sweet and Low” (Alfred Lord Tennyson)
Miscellaneous
•Ten Essential Amino Acids
•Ten Non-Essential Amino Acids
I’m currently memorizing...
Scripture
Poetry
•“The Land of Storybooks” (Robert Lewis Stevenson)
•“To a Waterfowl” (William Cullen Bryant)
Folk Song
•“The Kerry Dance” (James Lynam Molloy)
Next in line are...
Scripture
Catechism
•more questions from the Westminister Shorter Catechism
Hymns
•“At the Cross/ En La Cruz”
•“Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”
Poetry
•“Work” (Henry Van Dyke)
•“The Bells” (Edgar Allen Poe)
•“The Elixer” (George Herbert)
Folk Song
•“The Oak and the Ash” (traditional English)
•“Linden Lea” (William Barnes)
Miscellaneous
•Common Medical Abbreviations
•Normal Blood and Urine Counts
Photographs:
1.This Scripture memory system is not only effective, but it’s elegantly streamlined. ;-)
2.I pull out all the cards I will be reviewing that day, replacing each as I recite it.
3.Estella the Cat keeps me company during my Bible time, and wonders why I don’t pay more attention to her.
Photographs and text © 2011.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011