Our Living Library

Although the nearing of September signals the end of summer days, the dying of leaves, the last of the harvest, I think of autumn as a time for beginnings. Something in me anticipates a fresh challenge. 

I still remember the excitement of beginning a school year—new clothes, new schoolbooks, new teachers, and new discoveries. Although those days are far behind me, when September approaches, I once again yearn to start something new. 

On September 1, 2017, I was excited when the Lord led me to begin a new project. Every day that month, He led me to one Bible verse or section of Scripture to memorize. Each was tailored to me, given not just for that day, but also as part of a compilation of “life verses” or keys to walking my life with God. At the end of the month, I had 30 verses memorized and recorded on a stack of index cards. These verses were handpicked by God Himself, to keep and treasure, and above all, use as I made my way through the rest of my life. 

However, time, an autoimmune disease, and medication fogged my brain; it was not as sharp as it had once been. My store of memorized Scripture consisted of verses I’d learned as a child or along my spiritual journey, and those I’d read so often they were lodged in my mind. I had not been making an effort to add much to the cache. I memorized the verses each day, but nearly all were ones that had been key to my spiritual growth in the past or at least very familiar.

Day after day, I opened the Word in the morning and the Spirit led me to a verse, sometimes by popping a phrase into my mind or by impressing a certain book of the Bible to leaf through:

• Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me (Jer. 30:21)? A life-verse of mine, but, oh, I need to be reminded of it!
• The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed (Is. 50:4). These words have been instrumental in reining in an unbridled tongue.
• I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Ps. 27:13-14). This was given to me during a very discouraging family crisis.

Near the end of the month, somewhere around day 26, an interesting thing began to happen. The verses I had been learning began to pop into my head at random times. I would mentally recite them while eating breakfast, taking a walk, or standing in the shower. They were getting into my head, giving me something to take hold of, think about, and apply to current situations. 

I began to believe that many, if not all, of those 30 verses would be important to me in the future. As I sat down each day with my Bible, God knew not only the day ahead, but also the days ahead. He knew what fortification, preparation, or assurance I would need, and He was equipping me for my tomorrows.    

Toward the end, I took my stack of index cards in hand and wrote the reference on the back of each one. I then quizzed myself with them to see which I still remembered and which needed more work.

On September 30, God dropped the starting phrase of the final verse neatly into my mind: “For the word of God is living and active…” Within a few minutes I had located it in my Bible and read the rest of it: “…sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

What a great verse to end on! It summed up the whole reason for and value of the collection I had acquired. What a “living library” I now have—powerful, useful, strengthening, and focusing. These verses are vital because they are not only relevant, but also able to work within me to expose need, reveal truth, and bring about healing and change.

A picture came to my mind of my nephew, Shawn, and his future wife when they were both  training to be nurses together. They had been viewing bacteria under a microscope, and it was definitely an eye-opener! Shawn told his mom, “We will never look at germs the same again.”

Through the microscope of Hebrews 4:12, I saw that all Scripture is fully alive, teeming with intention, and bursting with power. All of it is “God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). My month’s verses, in particular, are intentional and effective in me. They are capable of slicing deep, laying open the contents of my mind and heart, and performing soul surgery. They correct, heal, and motivate me.

May I never look at Scripture the same way again.

Do you want to participate in a great challenge? Pray about taking one month to do a similar exercise. If you sense the Lord leading you to do this, take several steps as you begin:

1. Ask Him to lead you to just the right verses, ones that will be key to your life, not only currently, but in the future.

2. Prepare a notebook, index cards, smartphone, or laptop—whatever works for you. You may want to have a concordance handy to help with finding a phrase God brings to mind or a verse about a particular topic such as “peace” or “temptation.” 

3. Locate your verse each day by asking the Lord to lead you to it. Be still and wait for His direction. When you find it, write it down.

4. Pray over it, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal its meaning and how it applies to your life. Listen for His instruction and direction.

5. Memorize the verse and return to it often throughout the day. In addition, is there a song, book, or short Bible study that would help plant those words in your heart?

6. Gather the verses together at the end of the month and make sure all are committed to memory. Keep them nearby as a handy reference to which you can often return to refresh your memory and your heart.

I suspect these “living libraries” will be used by God in very vital ways in the coming days and years. Let’s rejoice that He is answering the psalmist’s prayer (which was also my Day 24 verse): “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Ps. 119:18)!