Here is a great blog post from our sister and friend, Laura Smith.
I continue to be in absolute awe of what the Father does. “Even at night, the Spirit counsels me” (Psalms?) I was in a deep sleep & the Spirit woke me up & started bringing all kinds of inspiration & words to my mind. I was sleepy, so of course I kept having this inner dialogue with Him, sayings things like, “Okay, if you really want me to wake up, you’ll keep trying. If you don’t keep trying & I fall back asleep, then so be it. Maybe I’ll remember this stuff in the morning & I can write it down then…” but that’s not how the Spirit works. If He’s got a message for you, He keeps at it. He’s a persistent one, that’s for sure, but thank goodness He is! Imagine the truths we’d miss out on if He wasn’t. It’s so fun to see Him work! He can use anything- a conversation you had with a friend, a noise that wakes you up, an urgent bladder that gets you out of bed….all these seemingly “random” things to reveal the unique & specific message He has for you at this time.
Tonight, it was a conversation with a friend & a potty break that He used to get to me. A dear friend of mine “randomly” mentioned wanting to memorize Scripture. I pondered it & thought about how I have noticed that Scripture has been flowing through my thoughts & creeping into my speech more & more these days. I often find myself “quoting” Scripture without actually quoting it. Instead of what you traditionally think of when people memorize & quote Scripture (I.e. referencing the exact location the words came from; ex. James 1:5), I’ve been quoting the words without the reference. “These things have I hidden in my heart….” “In all your ways acknowledge Him & He will make your paths straight.” “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, etc. think on these things.” If I am tempted by a sneaky “stinkin’ thinking’” train, I find myself combating it with TRUTH. How did this happen? I didn’t just wake up one day & the Bible started spewing out of me. I grew, over time, in my walk with the Father. I found myself reading His Word more & more & craving it. I made the decision to be intentional about what I allow my eyes, ears, & mind to be exposed to (tv, movies, music, books, etc.). “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.”
I told the friend that wanted to start memorizing scripture (together, I forgot to mention that part earlier) that I have a hard time remembering the exact reference (the numbers part), but can recall the words pretty well & I am pretty good at knowing where to go in my Bible for specific things. This is actually kind of weird to me because I’m a “numbers” person, but maybe it’s because I have so many other numbers constantly running through my head that the Lord decided to give me a break on this part.
The point of all of this is that God can use it all- whether you can quote tons of Scripture (reference & all), only have a few verses in your tool box, know the general areas to go in the Bible for certain things, or start speaking God’s truths in a similar manner to how we quote from movies & t.v. shows, it’s ALL good. Hide God’s Word in your heart, meditate on His truths, & you will see the fruit of it in your life. His Word is living & powerful, but if you never open the Book & study it, don’t expect to wake up one day in amazement. Be a student of God’s Word & it will come ALIVE, like dry bones brought to life. Thank you, Father, for your awesome Word!