Investing time in memorizing Scripture is good for your heart and spiritual growth.
SHAUNA: Hi, this is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. You know, one thing I love Joni, was listening to you and Ken quoting Scripture this morning. How do you memorize so many Bible verses?
JONI: Oh, I don’t know Shauna. I just love the Word and so does my husband Ken. I remember sharing a story with our radio listeners earlier this year. It was a story about me being released from the hospital after a severe case of pneumonia. My doctor sent me home with a chest percussion machine. And he ordered me to stay on it [in fact, now a year later, I am still doing chest percussion therapy]. And every morning and evening, Ken Tada has to Velcro a big wide band around my chest and then he hooks me up to the percussion machine. He turns it on and for 15 minutes the whole thing rattles violently like a jackhammer. I’m really beaten up! At the same time, I use a nebulizer – the ordeal is meant to keep my lungs clear of any more pneumonia. Now, the entire routine is so uncomfortable and doing it every morning and evening makes it even harder. And way back many months ago when I first started this chest therapy, I felt so discouraged. For the first week or so, it was just one monotonous routine added to already a long list of things related to my disability, and I was hard-pressed to be happy about it. But then I thought, “Oh, come on Joni, you believe in a sovereign God who’s allowing this; plus, you want to stay healthy, right?”
Well, of course, I do, that’s a no-brainer. But what would God have me do then for these cumbersome 15 minutes in the morning and in the evening? And just like that, the Holy Spirit kicked me in the right direction. Without wasting another week, I decided to use that time to memorize Scripture. Ken opened the white three-ring binder containing passages I’ve either memorized or am in the process of learning by heart. He then placed the binder on my bed where I could see it, and while the nebulizer hissed, and the vest rattled my chest, I have, to this point, memorized a batch of Scriptures. Including Ephesians 1, part of Ephesians 2, the Nicene Creed, Psalms 84, 92, 63 and 121. And you know, I chose those passages from the Bible because each one speaks about the character of God, or it is a Psalm that praises God. Because memorizing requires a lot of effort and concentration, and if I am going to do it then I want to commit to heart things I actually use in my spiritual growth. And I figure I can’t go wrong memorizing verses that I can easily use in praising God for his character or for his works. If I’m going to invest the time that I’m on that percussion machine, I want to memorize passages that’ll work for me. Like when I’m discouraged, I can reach back into my mind and pull out part of Jude to instill hope. Or when I’m anxious, I have ready Philippians 4. Or if I think I’m taking Jesus for granted, there’s a couple of great paragraphs about the supremacy of Christ in Colossians 1. I mean, you recite those and, whoa, the Holy Spirit will shake you awake!
And I keep all these things I’ve memorized in a three-ring binder so I can flip it open and refresh my memory now and then. And now? I “almost” look forward to chest percussion therapy time so I can tackle my three-ring binder. You want to see it? Well, I’ve posted a photo of Ken Tada helping me with it. And you’ll get a look at my percussion vest. It’s really not all that interesting, but see it for yourself at joniradio.org.
SHAUNA: Well, Joni we know that Psalm 119 says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart,” so we’re encouraging you, listening friend to hide God’s Word in your heart. That’ll help you not to sin, to strengthen your faith, to brighten your hope of heaven, and Joni?
JONI: It’ll help me endure chest percussion therapy.
SHAUNA: Amen!
© Joni and Friends