Can you believe it’s April? I hope that you are still plugging away on your Bible memory. But if you’ve fallen a little behind, this is your chance to begin again. This quote from John Piper from his book When I Don’t Desire God brings a wonderful perspective, and I hope some fresh encouragement to your hearts not to give up.
“I spend this much time on Bible memory because I believe in the power of the indwelling Word of God to solve a thousand problems before they happen, and to heal a thousand wounds after they happen and to kill and a thousand sins in the moment of temptation, and to sweeten a thousand days with a dripping of the honeycomb.”
In my reading this week, I came across a verse that seemed to reinforce the importance of tightly holding on to what matters most. It comes from 2 Samuel 23:10:
“But Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.”
Eleazar was one of David’s mighty men. And this chapter outlines all of the exploits of these men; if made into an action movie would undoubtedly be a blockbuster!
They were getting ready to battle the Philistine’s, and for some reason, all the men of Israel turned back on the day of battle. All except this man Eleazar, he single-handedly took down the Philistines. This was a man of marked individuality and audacious character. A man who knew himself and knew his God and did not run away because they ran.
I was thinking about how we might apply this account to us. May we be women who know the truth of God and be resolved, by the help of the Holy Spirt-to fight the good fight, with the Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) in our hand and wield it well.
The verse says that “his hand grew tired and froze to the sword.” The battle we are in day after day can get exhausting. But what I think we can glean from this passage was that he had determined in his mind to keep fighting even though his physical strength was gone. This sticking of his hand to the sword proves the energy with which he gripped his weapon. He grasped that sword well and retained his hold. Whatever happened to him in battle, he never let go of his weapon for an instant. If he had once opened his hand, there would have been no sticking, but he kept his hand on his weapon all the way through!
Let’s determine to keep our hold on our weapon, which is the word of God. Let’s learn how to use it in such a way that it becomes a natural extension, and it’s had to see where one leaves off, and the other begins. May God’s Word so take root in our hearts and minds that, as John Piper said, it will not only sweeten a thousand days for us but will solve a thousand problems and heal a thousand wounds.
Keep up the good work!
My verse: “Ah Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm, nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17
