I’m experiencing some technical difficulties and will have the audio uploaded this week, but through trying to learn scripture as a rather mature adult, I’ve come to realize that my brain is nowhere as plastic as it once was. If you have children you are teaching scripture, keep on it. They will memorize it a lot easier than when they’re older and it will be a comfort for them during hard times.
Thus far I’ve found that Psalm 1 isn’t just the first Psalm, but it’s one of the shorter ones to memorize. However I’m still only about halfway through. The point is, I’m trying and you should too. What memorizing scripture is also helping me to do also is really pay attention to the scripture, the wording used and the poetry in it.
I noticed in verse one it states:
Blessed is the man who
WALKS not in the counsel of the wicked
nor
STANDS in the way of the sinner
nor
SITS in the seat of the scoffer
Notice that pattern of walk, stand and sit. These are all actions of intention. So we have to be intentional not to walk in the counsel of the wicked as it reads in the ESV (as pictured), or ungodly as it reads in the NKJV, nor stand in the way of the sinner (you don’t want to be still doing the same thing as everyone else) and you don’t want to be sitting in the seat with a scoffer (and basically scoffing or mocking along with them).
So, I’m finding the memorization, while difficult for this particular brain (my memory isn’t great), that the act of trying to memorize is also really getting me to contemplate deeply what I’m reading.
And curiously, on the next verse it says,
“but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night”.
So while I’m not necessarily meditating on the law at this point, I’m meditating on the scripture and when I realized that, it was kind of like the poetry or the prose was reading to me, rather than me reading the poetry.
Through taking this particular bible study at church, I’m also finding that Psalms, the book I used to avoid like the plague, because I’m not much for poetry, is becoming the book I now love. It is loaded with ammunition for spiritual warfare, encouragement in rough times, praise when normal words fail, love for when you might not be feeling it basically there’s a mood for every situation. There are 150 Psalms and while I kind of said to my husband that I might try and remember them all before I die….realistically, I know that my brain is going to struggle with remembering 10. But if I try, well that scripture gets deep into my core and the Holy Spirit will be able to draw it out of me when He needs to.
As I said, I’ll update this when I’ve fixed my technical glitch and will get the scripture audio added. May God bless you as you continue to seek Him.
