Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalms 119:11 KJV)
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart, so I won’t sin myself bankrupt. (Psalms 119:11 MSG)
Let me first start by asking the questions: ‘What are you depositing in your heart? Are you depositing the promises of God or are you depositing sin?’ We have to be careful what we are allowing in our hearts. It is necessary for us to constantly deposit the promises of God into the vault of our hearts. We should value the Word because of what it does in our lives. The Word produces cleansing, it gives liberty, it provides direction, and it gives understanding (Ellsworth, 2006).
We need to have a personal relationship with God in order to survive this journey and the way we develop that relationship is meditating on His Word. We cannot obtain this closeness with Him without making frequent deposits. I could not walk into a Chase Bank to withdraw $10,000.00 if I did not have that amount in my account. I would be denied access for insufficient funds. It’s the same in the spiritual realm, if we do not have sufficient Word in the vault of our hearts, we will be spiritually bankrupt and prone to sin. To have God’s Word of promises laid up in our heart is the only security against succumbing to sin (Exell & Spence). That’s why it is very important as believers to meditate upon the Word of God. It’s the only security we have to make this journey. Just as we invest countless hours and money into the stock market, IRA’s, education, work, or a business as security for our future, we should put more effort into studying and meditating on God’s Word because that’s the only security that will last a lifetime.
We need to realize that the Word of God is the agent that the Spirit of God uses to regenerate the hearts of all of us who are saved (Eph.5:25-27). He continues to use that same cleansing power in our lives today (Ellsworth, 2006). When our vaults are full of God’s promises (Word of God), we will find it easier to exercise the principles of the Bible and see our brothers and sisters in Christ as He sees us.
Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie
- Ellsworth, Roger, Opening Up Psalms, Ryelands Road, Leominster, HR6 8NZ: Day One Publications, 2006.
- Exell, Rev. Joseph, Spence, Rev. H.D.M., The Pulpit Commentary: Psalms (Vol.111) New Edition, London and New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.