Devotional - August 13, 2025

Scripture: Psalm 119: 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Think about some of the things you hide, or have hidden.  Did you have a secret place to conceal them?  Or better yet, a place where you put things that are meaningful to you.  What are those things you squirrelled away?  Where did you put them, hide them, for safekeeping?  It is significant, I think, to see what people keep in the pages of their Bible.  Maybe not the Bible they use regularly, but one that is a heirloom or a gift, often it is a little bigger than others.  If I have an opportunity to look at those Bibles, I usually find pressed leaves or flowers, pictures, newspaper clippings, or other other odds and ends.  Sometimes, there is a letter, or part of a letter, from a significant other.  Where I find these items can be just as significant.  They may mark passages in Scripture that relate to the item.  If I talk to the person, they usually give an account of what I found, both the item and it's location.  The stories they tell cover the gambit of life.  They can be funny and full of joy or heart breaking and harsh.  But, they are always real.  They happened and they are significant.  In their own way, they are treasures that need to be kept safe because they are memories that live with us.  They are a part of our lives.  They are a part of us that will live on after we are gone.  The Psalmist makes reference to hiding the Scriptures, the Law, in his heart.  So dear is it to him, that he carries it in his innermost being for the purpose of maintaining his relationship with God.  It is so sacred and significant to him, he keeps it there.  The world is not allowed access or even knowledge of it's whereabouts.  It is a place where only he and God know and can be.  I hope you also have such a place.  Jesus was known for going off to be with God both in prayer and in person (Luke 6:12).  This practice is not just for Him.  He did this to show us we too need that place and time.  Taking time to simply meditate with God is very healthy (Joshua 1:9 and Ps 1:2).  Even if you do not do it regularly, take time to do it.  One way to keep God close is by keeping, ....hiding, his word within your heart.

Pray with me, ... Holy God, we live in difficult times.  Our lives are challenging both within and around us.  May Your presence, Your Word, dwell deep within our our hearts, granting us the peace and support only You can give.  Hear us as we ask Your blessing on our loved ones.  Bless them according to their needs.  And bless our church O God, guide us so we can be the blessing You call us to be, in Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Brian