I Have Hidden Your Word

Twice in the night I heard these words. “Hide My word in your heart so that when these things come up that is what comes out of your mouth.” The words were soft, but the seriousness was the piercing sound of a trumpet in my ears. I could not wait to get out of bed that morning and dig into the scriptures because I knew I was embarking on a treasure hunt.

 “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. Praise be to You, Lord; teach me Your decrees. With my lips, I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth.”

~Psalm 119:10-13 NIV

The author says, “I seek, I have hidden, I recount.” For further clarification, I consulted a Greek and Hebrew resource to verify the definitions of some familiar, key words from this passage.

Seek – to inquire for, to yearn for, to ponder, and to study

Seek is an irregular verb which means the conjugation (past, present, future tense) is sought, seek, or will seek. Here, seek is in the present tense. I seek now, continually. Not I sought yesterday, or I will seek tomorrow, but TODAY. In the present, in the now, I seek You with ALL MY HEART.

I think we Christ followers often dwell in complacency. We rely on others to do the work, gather the food, and hopefully bring deliverance to us on a silver platter. Did you know that we serve an all-access God? That means we, you and I, can go straight to The Source for ourselves. Dig in. Search it out. What does God say about this matter? Seek Me and you will find Me. 

All –

·        Everything, totality, whole, entire

Hidden –

·        Stored up, keep safe; treasures, to be treasured, cherished

Decrees –

·        Clear communication of what someone should do

With my lips I recount –

·        I proclaim

Laws –

·        What is right

When you put it all together in context, you find God instructs us through the psalmist:

Seek Me with totality of heart. Store up those treasures and keep them safe (do not let anyone or anything steal them) so that you will clearly proclaim what is right!

The phrase “that I might not sin against You” appears in the same passage as a vow to proclaim what is right. In other words, hide My Word in your heart so you do not sin against Me with your mouth!  The author continues in the verses that follow, “You are my hiding place” and “my lips shall pour forth praise.”  Verse 66 says, “Teach me good judgment, wise and right discernment, and knowledge, for I have believed.”

Psalm 119 is the longest of all the Psalms and the longest chapter of the Bible with 176 verses. The psalm is not as much about fitting the bible into our daily lives but more the reaction of one who has the Word hidden within them roaring with an outcry of faith! This kind of depth does not come from a just-skimming-the-surface, shallow-water, I-read-my-bible-check-that-off-the-list task. This is the consumption of the Word. This is holding on to it with all your might as to a tangible object, protecting that treasure, and keeping it pure and incorruptible within you as a resource that springs forth from your belly.

I love the descriptive, call-to-action words written throughout the entire passage! Verse 2 in the amplified translation tells us we are blessed when we CRAVE Him (AMP). May the following words and phrases from throughout the psalm seep into your soul and spring up a deep hunger within to delve into His word so that you may be filled to overflowing! Proclaim these words today!

·       I rejoice, delight, meditate

·        Open my eyes, make me understand, teach me, give me understanding

·        I cleave, long for, my soul languishes, my heart is breaking with longing

·        Revive and stimulate me, incline (or turn) my heart, make me go in the path

Scripture tells us that we are truly blessed when we seek God with a whole heart. In this way, we come to know His character. God’s attributes are clearly reflected throughout His word so when we have that invaluable treasure stored up in our hearts, our reflection will be His! Oh, that I may know Him! 

Today, I seek You, Father. Today, I hide Your word in my heart. Today, I PROCLAIM your faithfulness to me!