My child, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight. They will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. ~Proverbs 3:21-24
How can I keep my way pure? By living according to Your word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. ~Psalms 119:9-11
When I was pastoring in Glenburn, Maine, I did a series on the importance of memorizing scripture. In fact, Kathy and I did a presentation together to demonstrate about ten different ways that scripture could be tackled. Not every system works for every person. Our congregation was mostly older and, while we had hoped for some success, we were blown away by one member who rose to the challenge.
Mildred was amazing. Another church member said of her, “Mildred can do anything,” referring to Mildred’s ability to sew, knit, crochet, etc. Kathy and I still have the Faberge eggs that Mildred would give us, one a year, to put on our Christmas tree. At the age of 83, she took the time to sit with Kathy, after church one Sunday to teach her how to pearl. Up to that point, Kathy knew how to knit straight stitches, but she hadn’t done it for years and she wanted to learn. The ladies wanted to have a prayer shawl ministry, but for Kathy to participate, the pattern that was agreed to required pearling. Mildred and Kathy worked together until success was achieved.
Here is the most amazing thing about Mildred, until the age of 60 or so, she couldn’t read. She enrolled in night classes and was determined to learn. Even after she had learned to read, she was never comfortable reading in public and we respected that. As you can imagine, she had heard a lot of negative comments throughout her life, because of her illiteracy, but she was an overcomer, to God’s glory.
When Kathy and I began talking about memorizing scripture, the method that Mildred settled on was to keep verses on her bedside table, to review at night. She began this practice in her 80s. She once told us, “I’m not getting it perfect, but I am learning so much! If I had only known 20 years ago what I do now, I wonder what a difference I could have made.” We were so proud of her and so blessed by her attitude!
In this passage, Solomon is again encouraging growing in wisdom and sound judgment, and also, again, re-writing your heart drive, with the observation this time that your sleep will be sweet and free from fear or worry when you use it as a garland about you, or as the Psalmist says, hide it in your heart.
Some people hang charms around their necks for some sort of protection or to bring good luck. We all know that kind of thinking is worthless because it is based on something that isn’t true. However, carrying God’s word with you is a certainty, a source of wisdom that can be depended upon if you have hidden it there in the first place. When God says sound judgment and discernment will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck, we’re supposed to get the idea that it’s with you always. You’re not carrying it in your hand where it can easily be put down or dropped. And it’s close to your heart. Also, precious and important as jewelry is usually regarded. There might even be a sense of self-confidence instilled by the fact that you own such treasure and wear it proudly.
Maybe, the next time you find yourself tossing and turning at night, instead of counting sheep, or whatever you do, find a verse that you have always wanted to memorize and begin working on it. Hide it in your heart so that it is always with you, handy for you to pull out whenever you need some comfort or encouragement. If Mildred can do it and be blessed, so can you.
Prayer: O Lord, keep my mind open and active, learning still no matter how old I get. And may your Word always be the most precious thing I store up in my mind, the thing I care most about, as I enjoy time with you and grow in knowing you and being more like you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: “Thy Word”
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