What Does it Mean to Hide God's Word in Your Heart?
- Meg Bucher Author
- Updated Jul 05, 2022
“Thy word have I hid in my heart.” Psalm 119:11
The steps creak and the small desk light flickers on as I tap it on. The still quiet of the morning silence is broken only by the whir of coffee beans and the hissing of the kettle warming up. This time is set aside to sit down with God before the day starts. It didn’t always begin that early. It started by locking the bathroom door to snag five minutes of sanity for a momma with two littles clamoring for constant attention. Faithfully, day after day, God honored the minutes spent locked in that small space, running down the road at sunrise, and praying by the shore of the lake. All of the little moments are layered in the sedimentary foundations of a heart sold out to Christ. One small, obedient step at a time, God’s Word accumulated, hidden for moments of triumph, trial, and testimony. He doesn’t ask us to be perfect, only that we talk to Him. Like a mom hopes for her teenager to cuddle up and talk like the olden days of toddler life, God’s heart is moved when we make an effort to seek Him with all of ours.
What Does 'Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart' Mean?
“So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priest, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.” Deuteronomy 31:9
'Thy word have I hid in my heart.' God’s Word is meant to be placed at the center of our lives. He is our Rock, the firm and unchanging foundation we build our lives upon. The NIV Study Bible explains, “Ancient treaties specified that a copy of the treaty was to be placed before the gods at the religious centers of the nations involved. For Israel, that meant to place it in the ark of the covenant.” For New Testament Christ-followers, we have the Living God living in us through the Holy Spirit from Jesus Christ! This means through the daily disciplines of reading the Bible, prayer, and worship, we have the Holy Spirit to help us understand, remember, and apply God’s wisdom to our daily lives.
The Hebrew root of word designates God’s revelation. God’s Word reveals wisdom, understanding, and perspective that we would not have without His divine hand reaching into our hearts through the Bible. It becomes our foundation, and God builds upon our lives in layers of truth, conviction, instruction, encouragement, and love that flow from the supernatural power of the Scripture when we seek Him there. This habit, over a lifetime, allows us to develop the relationship with God we were meant to have and that He desires with us. His truth becomes a part of who we are and how and why we live our daily lives. “This way entails both treasuring (zealously guarding) God’s Word …in one’s heart as well as meditating on it (internalizing, memorizing it, pondering it over time, and considering how it applies to one’s situation),” the Moody Bible Commentary explains, “This should form a lifelong habit of hiding God’s word in his heart so as not to sin against the Lord.”
Created in His image, we were purposed to bring glory to God through our lives here on earth. The biggest expression of love of all time was God’s sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross. And Jesus, though He prayed and wept that there would be any other way, went willingly. Our sins are forgiven, and this line of communication and personal relationship between God and humanity is available through the acceptance of Jesus Christ. Our belief in Him ushers the Holy Spirit into our very souls, allowing us to hide and build upon God’s wisdom …within our very hearts and minds.
10 Practical Ways to Hide God's Word in Our Hearts
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5
One of the junior high students in our youth ministry recently commented, “I want to read my Bible like you say daily, but I don’t understand it.” It’s a valid point, to which many of us relate. This particular student has been taught how to read the Bible, given a Student Study Bible and a Teen devotional book, but missing is the effort on her part to use those tools. There are podcasts we can listen to hands-free! There are many ways to get into the Word of God each day, to keep His truth top of mind and center of the heart. But, it doesn’t happen without the disciplined effort to open the app, the book, or journal and get quiet with God. Here are ten simple ways to hide God’s word in our hearts, daily.
1. Read the Bible. Set aside time. Start with five minutes, and prayerfully ask God to meet us there.
2. Journal. If it’s hard to focus, we can write a prayer to God each day before diving into Scripture.
3. Pray Scripture. If there is a particular issue we face, we can google Scriptures that apply to those issues. (Always read study Bible notes to make sure to understand the verse in context.) Then, we can write out those verses in prayer to God. Replace general terms with personal pronouns, because His Word is meant for each of us, individually.
4. Study Bible. Reading a study Bible can help define words and describe people, places, and events in the Bible to help us understand them better.
5. Jesus Cards. For a small investment, a box of cards that have Scriptures written on them can be used as bookmarks, placed in places we see often and serve as reminders of God’s Word laced into the everyday corners of our lives.
6. Devotional Books. Not to be used as a replacement to the Bible, but alongside can provide great perspective for the walk or stage of life we are in.
7. Podcasts. From short devotionals to entire sermons, podcasts are a great way to hide God’s Word in our hearts as we drive, work, and walk through our days.
8. Email subscriptions. Subscribe online to subscriptions that will send articles, prayers, devotionals, podcasts, and more right to our phones and computers. It helps us to remember God’s Word throughout the day, and often meets us where were are with a particular question, struggle, or piece of encouragement.
9. Worship Music. Music is a wonderful way to knit God’s Word on our hearts. So many songs are truths straight from Scripture put to a melody that easily becomes stuck in our minds and hidden in our hearts. They can become anthems for seasons we walk through with Jesus.
10. Books. Christian authors and publishers abound with books written about the content of the Bible, and how to apply it to our everyday lives.
What Are the Benefits of Hiding God's Word in Your Heart?
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.” Psalm 119:9
Purity in this context means, “free from all moral taint” (NIV). The Voice paraphrase reads: “How can a young person remain pure? Only by living according to Your word.” The truth of Scripture prepares us, whether we are in need of help or healing, or searching for the opportunity to share our faith, hiding God’s Word in our heart. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts because everything we do and say flows from it. The benefit of hiding God’s Word in our hearts is that we would have the self-control and grace-filled perspective to live and speak in a way that is Christ-centered and God-honoring. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us:
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
The Bible gives us the ability to discern what is right, the next step to take, and provides the comfort, encouragement, discipline, and conviction we need for our daily lives. When we are faithful to read it daily, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to recall God’s truth when we need it! In hard moments, anxious tests, and opportunities to share the gospel truth with others. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Take all things to the Lord in prayer, and look for answers in His Word. “When we come to the Bible to hear from God, we don’t close our eyes, or shut our ears, or disengage our minds,” John Piper explains in his book Reading the Bible Supernaturally. “Rather, it is through these very natural means that God then miraculously, supernaturally opens our spiritual eyes (Ephesians 1:18), ears (Mark 4:9), and minds (1 Corinthians 2:14-16).” Hiding God’s word in our hearts allows us to see, hear, and understand through the heavenly perspective of God, whose ways are not our ways and thoughts are not our thoughts. We connect with the Author of our souls, the One who has knit unique purpose into our lives and cares for us more than any soul on earth ever could.
Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart: A Prayer to Hide God's Word in Our Hearts
Father,
You know us completely, God. Only when we make an effort to meet with you daily in prayer, worship, and Scripture can we be fully prepared for the day ahead, and a life that brings glory and honor to You. Father, we pray today for the power of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible, as it applies to our lives each day. You promise that if we seek you with all of our hearts we will find you. You assure us the plans You have for us are good. Father, You are all-knowing and everywhere. You are goodness and love, justice and peace. You are our provider, reminder, teacher, and friend.
Abba, Father; Jesus, Messiah; Spirit, Counselor; One True and Triune God, glory to You in the highest. Show us more of You each day. Teach us, guide us, mold us and help us to hear You correctly and follow Your instruction and guidance faithfully. God, please loft Your voice over all the others that compete for our attention in life. Focus our hearts on You. Ground us in You, our firm foundation. It takes effort and discipline to read the Bible each day, God. We pray for the obedience to do it. May our lives be living witnesses of our Christ-centered steps.
In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.
Faith in Jesus is more than a religion. It goes far beyond following rules and it isn’t at all about feeling bad for what we’ve done wrong past confessing our sin and embracing His forgiveness. Faith in Jesus, living a Christ-centered life, is walking with Him. Reading the Bible, hiding God’s Word in our hearts … is hiding Jesus in our hearts. He is the Living Word, there at the beginning with God, sitting as His right hand now, and has promised to come back again. The more time we spend in Scripture, the better we get to know Jesus, our Savior, Messiah, Son of God … and our Friend.
Sources
NIV Study Bible, Copyright © 1985, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2011 by Zondervan.
Moody Bible Commentary. Copyright 2014. Moody Publishers.
Further Reading
Why Should We Hide God's Word in Our Hearts?
3 Practical Ways to Transfer God’s Word from Your Bible to Your Heart
Related: Listen to our podcast, How to Study the Bible! Available at LifeAudio.com. Listen to the first episode here:
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