It was so dark that my flashlight was shedding just enough brightness to see the next steps in front of us.  The stars were shinning but they were only good for pretty jewels to look at in the heavens.  The crickets were singing their lullabies, but I wasn’t wrapped up snugly in my covers.  At 5:30 am yesterday, I was pounding the pavement, running 15 miles with my husband on his birthday.  That’s right, 15 miles!

But when your favorite smiles that smile at you and says,

“All I want for my birthday is for your to run that 15 mile run with me,”  you do it.  (Well, if you are me you do it, my friends at dinner last night had a different answer if their husband said this!  lol)

Running has always been a time for me to meditate on scripture, clear my head, and pray.  The Holy Spirit brought this scripture to my mind first, followed by a flood of others:

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

I saw this verse of scripture alive right in from of me.

 His Word, my light, revealing just enough of what I needed to see for my next two,three, or sometimes just the next step ahead.

We rounded the corner of the trail, where tall trees hovered over us on both sides, and it became even darker.  

“What if I didn’t have this light?  I would have to quit, because I’d be scared to death to trip and fall on a twig or worse, step on a snake!”

Have you ever been here friends?  Have you found yourself on a path (maybe even one that you were certain you followed Jesus on) and felt surrounded by darkness, and danger, trembling in fear?  Did you have His Word hidden in your heart?  Did the Spirit bring it to mind and give you enough light, faith, and hope to take the next step?

I have been there so many times!

Stuck in Africa, alone, separated from my family for months to finish our adoption process. Dark.  Scary.  But He  shed just enough light through his Word day by day to stay the course.

 Motherhood.  Do I need to expand on this?!

Ministry.  Living on half the salary that we used to. That was scary with some dark days.

Marriage. Let’s be honest, it’s not always easy.

There have been and are going to be some dark days.  And on those dark days, it’s going to be so much easier to grab our flashlight and shine it if we know where it is and how to use it!  And even easier if we have his Word hidden in our hearts (memorized) so all we have to do is recall it to mind, having a built in light to direct us when the path ahead is hard to see and treacherous.

So, here are some of my favorite ways to memorize scripture:

Write a verse on an index card.

 Highlight the key words (no more than 3 or 4).

 Memorize the highlighted words.

Use the highlighted words to be a springboard for recalling the words following.

Memorize a passage of scripture:

Print out the passage or chapter of scripture.

Highlight the key words in each verse of the passage.

Memorize a verse a day, as you carry the printed page with you wherever you go.  Pull it out of your purse instead of your phone when you have free moments.

 It’s amazing how His Word will transform your mind!  If you know it by heart, you can think on it wherever you are, and He will give you just enough light for the next steps on your journey!

Your Fellow Sojourner,

Amy ❤