Monthly Devotional

By Heart

July 2007

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6:21)

When my nephew Ryan was four, he recited a passage by memory. His grandma was pleased. “Ryan, that’s wonderful!,” she exclaimed. You know it by heart!”

Ryan frowned and bit his lip. “By heart?” he asked. “I thought I knew it in my head.”

He had a point. To know it by heart, he had to know it in his head.

Musicians squirm when they hear, “You need to know it by heart for next week’s lesson.” So what exactly does it mean to know it by heart?

As a singer and pianist, in order to know it by heart, I need to study the notes and rhythms, learn the musical terms, and repeat the language until it’s familiar and natural. I practice the challenging passages so that my body is trained to hit the high and low notes and maintain breath support on long phrases. My body memorizes what to do. Yes, I have to know and hear it in my head, but it has to become a part of my heart and my very breathing. The payoff is great. When I sing or play “by heart,” I connect with the music on a deep and emotional level.

That’s similar with God’s Word.

Scriptures can be studied and researched and then repeated with such frequency that they become part of our lives. The words become familiar, as natural as breathing. They are instrumental in helping us through challenging passages. The scriptures train us as they become the music of our days.

What song of praise or passage of scripture can you memorize? How do you memorize best? Do you prefer kinesthetic (by doing), auditory (by hearing), or visual (by seeing).
Why not start this July to learn a passage by heart? What verses can become a part of your thoughts, actions, and muscle memory? As you live God’s Word, God will reveal new ways to apply it day by day.

The Word of God is a treasure. Hide it in your heart and know it in your head. Then live it in your actions. We learn to pray by praying. We learn to memorize by memorizing. Let’s start learning now!. This July, I plan to memorize the “Blesseds” from Matthew 5:3-12. Won’t you join me?

Lord, Your Word is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey from the comb. Guide me to the scriptures I should hold in my heart. Help me discipline my mind to learn them so they are a part of my every breath. Help me obey You and live out these words so that I form a close connection with You.

Copyright © 2007 - Ann Marie Stewart. All rights reserved.

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