Psalm 119:16
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

As a fifth-grade student, I was required to memorize the Gettysburg Address. The entire class was to learn it, and then recite it during our spring program. I read the address over and over, learning it by line, committing it to memory. When the time for the program came, I was able to recall the address from memory and recite it with my classmates.

Now, many years later, I have little recollection of the address. I remember bits and pieces, probably the same ones that most people know, like “Fourscore and seven years ago” and “of the people, by the people, for the people”. But that is the extent of my knowledge. I have forgotten the rest because I neither read nor recited the address after that day in fifth grade.

In many of the same ways, we are prone to forget the Word of God. Perhaps we learn a few verses as children or through hearing them repeatedly, but we fail to remember what we’ve learned. We neglect the Scripture, and in time of need, we have nothing to draw on.

Imagine a solider going into battle without a helmet or weapons. We would think this trooper ill-prepared to face the dangers of a war zone. In the same way, a child of God must not think they can withstand temptation and avoid sin without the Word of God. Think of when Jesus was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:1-11: in each case, Jesus was able to resist temptation by quoting Scripture. If the very Son of God relied on the Bible to overcome his battles, who are we to think we require anything less?

And remember what the psalmist asked to begin this passage: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The answer, as detailed in verses 9-16, is a complete dependence on and delight in the Word of God. We can avoid sin by storing Scripture in our hearts. May we always delight in the written revelation of God, and always remember the priceless treasure of His Word.