So now, as you enter the building with your guests, you find yourself experiencing a peculiarly elevated sense of awareness of everything that is going on at church that day. Your nose picks up the smell of the carpet, your eyes are drawn to the small wad of breakfast cereal tenaciously clinging to the welcomer’s chin, and then of course as you sit there’s the slightly tacky texture of pews (you hope that it is just deteriorating lacquer and not the accumulated sweat of a thousand parishioners). Still, everything has gone well so far. The congregation have been friendly, the leading has been tight, the music great. But then the preacher gets up, and says this:

The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God.

As each subordinate clause bludgeons itself against the congregation’s ears your heart beats faster, your anxiety builds, and no amount of air conditioning can prevent the break out of perspiration as you frantically think through how you might smooth things over with your guests over lunch: “He was a guest preacher! It’s not normally like this!” And then you wake up and realize to your great relief it was all a dream. You’d never hear a sermon like that today.

That quote was from Jonathan Edwards’ classic sermon ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God’, preached in 1741 in Connecticut.¹ Under Edward’s preaching thousands turned to Christ. Thousands wised up and rushed to the gracious arms of the Saviour whose atoning death on that old rugged cross bore the wrath that was, by rights, theirs to face. Jonathan Edwards had no problem putting ‘the fear of God’ into his listeners. But it is different now: you really wouldn’t hear a sermon like that today. We don’t do ‘fear’ so much. We would rather win people to heaven than scare them from hell. We would much prefer that people’s hearts were stirred by love for God and not the fear of him. Of course, helping people come to see the love of God is a praiseworthy thing. However, in the process of stressing what we see as ‘the positive’, we have neglected a way of understanding God that the Bible would go so far as to describe as “the beginning of wisdom”.

The fear of God turns up more than 200 times in the Bible—and that is just the phrase itself, the concept is actually on display far more frequently. Yet despite the fear of God being such a prominent theme in the Bible, how often does fearing God come up in Christian conversation? How often does it feature in advice we give one another on how to live for Jesus? Even though it is revealed by our God to be the foundation of wisdom, there is hardly a book written on the subject. In preaching, we rarely hear it spoken about apart from the occasional passing reference while going through a book of the Old Testament. Even then, what we often hear is some brief remark along the lines of “Now of course the fear of God doesn’t mean being scared of God, it’s more about reverence and respect”. Are we sure about that? Does the fear of God mean anything except what you and I would actually call fear?

Afraid of the negative

Why don’t we talk about fearing God more than we do? I suggest it is because we are afraid of fear. We might like the odd horror movie or scary thriller, but that kind of fear is safe. It is fear with no implications for us or those we love. You walk out of the cinema afterwards and safe normality returns. What Jonathan Edwards preached? That’s not safe.

But there is an even bigger reason why we don’t talk about it, and that is because we see fear as an inferior or bad motive for doing things. Fear is viewed as a negative, life-sapping force rather than something that is positive and affirming, which tends to be our preferred mode of Christian operation. Playing on people’s fears is a powerful form of manipulation. It’s what we despise about current affairs programs and the radio shock jocks. What’s more, we have seen fear used for evil far too many times throughout history. It conjures up images of dictators like Hitler and Stalin, who kept people compliant and subservient by maintaining an environment of fear. If you keep people looking over their shoulders you can keep them under control. Fear is opposed to freedom. Fear is anti-life. It is this understanding of fear that leads noted thinkers such as Burmese democracy champion and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to reportedly say “The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear”.

So what place can fear have in Christianity? Christians would rather work in the opposite direction. We see it as our Christian duty to help liberate people from fear, and often for very good reasons. For some people, their life is all about fear, a fear that takes away their security and sense of assurance. For some Christians there is this strange mixture of fear and gratitude: we are grateful for what God has done for us, but then sit there sweating over when his patience with us will eventually run out. It’s as if we are living our lives waiting for the axe to fall when at last God finally realizes how truly hopeless we are. Some Christians, especially those with a sensitive conscience, live in anticipation of some calamity being visited upon them as judgement for past sins, some retribution for not making more progress when it comes to living a holy life. The result of this is often that people are driven away from God instead of being driven towards him. We want to affirm the truth of which John spoke:

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:17-18)

However we also know that the world is looking on. You get that cynical view of Christianity that sees it as being all about guilt, and fear, and timidity. This view finds expression in this comment that I read once: “Politicians promise, the police protect, but preachers scare”. So we are especially keen to say “No, it’s not like that!” We want to liberate people from fear, not encourage it.

Yet, once more, God says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10).

So is it possible that we have misunderstood what the Bible is speaking about when it speaks of the fear of God? If the result is a lack of Christian assurance then surely this enslaving fear can’t be what the Bible is promoting. The Bible is clear that the Christian life is to be one of love, and joy and hope and peace, and yet at the same time one lived in fear of God. A proper fear of God should be able to be held right beside an overwhelming sense of the love of God, and a joy in knowing him. So destructive fear that attacks our assurance of God’s love cannot be what the Bible is encouraging. If we are afraid of the fear of God, then we have not understood it.

Re-examining fear

The purpose of this series of articles is to help us to re-examine the fear of God—and more than that, to actually delight in it. The first step in doing that is to dispel the illusion that fear in general is a bad thing. One of the problems of our society is that it has adopted a simplistic and foolish approach to life, a view of life that assesses things and actions according to the happiness they produce. Perhaps we could call it the ‘whatever makes you happy’ ethic, where something is morally good if it brings happiness. If it doesn’t bring happiness, then it is not morally good.

I married a couple a number of years ago, and less than six months after saying “I do” the husband walked out on his wife. The advice he got from many of his friends was “That’s a shame, but I guess you’ve got to do what makes you happy”. In a choice between faithlessness or unhappiness, unhappiness was seen to be the greater ill. According to the ‘whatever makes you happy ethic’, fear is therefore a bad thing—because fear doesn’t make you happy, does it? Fearlessness, on the other hand, is something to be praised. Fearlessness is strong. Fearlessness is taking life by the horns and making it work for you.

This is of course utter garbage. Someone who is fearless is either a fool or a corpse, or a fool who is about to become a corpse. Every year, the famous Darwin Awards are full of tragic and darkly humorous examples of people whose failure to show appropriate fear has lead to their deaths. Fearlessness and foolishness go together.

Fearlessness springs from either ignorance or arrogance: ignorance, because you don’t appreciate the risk you are taking; or arrogance, because even though you are aware of the dangers you think you are invulnerable to them. Fear, on the other hand, in many instances is simply common sense. A deer running from a tiger displays smart fear, a fear that is life enhancing. If you are afraid of being bitten by a spider, you will wear gloves when cleaning up that old pile of bricks and piping in the backyard. If you are afraid of being hit by a car, you will cross the road at the lights, or at least look both ways before you cross. You don’t muck around with electricity, you don’t leave your children unattended near a pool… all this kind of stuff is smart fear.

However, it’s not just fear of dangerous situations that is smart fear. There’s fear that stops you from being lazy and spurs you on to achieve. You fear repeating a year of study, so you work hard, make sacrifices, and pass. You fear not making the team, so you practice and get selected. You fear falling into poverty, so you get up every morning and go to work. There’s also smart fear in relationships, fears that protect us from complacency. You fear the loss of a friendship, so you apologize to the friend when you wrong them. You fear the disapproval of someone you respect, so you try to please them. You fear hurting someone, so you make sure you remember their birthday. All this is good fear. Wise fear protects you physically, preserves your relationships, and keeps you from making a mess of your life. You experience security, assurance, and peace because you keep making the right responses to well-founded fears. When you fear what you should fear and act accordingly, then you are being wise. You show understanding, and your life is better and freer for it.

Good fear is tied in with true knowledge of reality. This is the fear that the Bible is speaking of when it comes to our perspective on God. God is the ultimate reality. There is nothing that impacts your life and eternity more than God does. There is no greater being, no greater force, and no more relevant truth to your existence than God’s own existence. This is the “beginning of wisdom”. If you fear snakes but don’t fear God, you are a fool. If you fear failure in exams but don’t fear facing God’s judgement unprepared, you are a fool. If you fear the disapproval of your parents or your peers but don’t fear the disapproval of God, you are a fool. But if you do fear, and act accordingly, then you enjoy peace with God, freedom from condemnation, and the certainty of his eternal love. That’s the kind of fear that brings assurance and comfort. It is the kind of fear worth having.

Fear that brings comfort

This healthy, life-affirming fear of God is scattered throughout the book of Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones. (Prov 3:5-8)

 

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

and his children will have a refuge.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Prov 14:26-27)

 

The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm.
(Prov 19:23)

 

The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. (Prov 29:25)

Nourishment, health, safety, life, contentment, freedom from trouble, understanding: all these good and wonderful (and, dare I say it, happy) things are the result of fearing God. The writer of Ecclesiastes surveys all the things people pursue to find meaning and satisfaction and declares:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Eccl 12:13)

Fearing God is the key to getting life right.

Interestingly, the fear of God is also tightly bound with the love of God. Whatever the fear of God is, it is not about walking around scared of a God who is looking for some excuse to zap you. Psalm 103 is one of the most encouraging passages in the whole of Scripture. To those of us who are more than aware of our sins and failures, it is a wonderful affirmation of God’s loving and gracious disposition towards his people. And yet notice what is also seeded throughout this ‘happy’ Psalm:

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of
the field;

for the wind passes over it, and
it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is

from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all. (Ps 103:8-19)

Far from being a barrier to assurance, the fear of God is a catalyst for it. When you fear God you are loved by God, you enjoy his fatherly compassion, and this love and compassion are with you from everlasting to everlasting. This is good fear, isn’t it? Fearing him is actually one of the gifts that God gives us to lead us to life. It is part of what it means to relate to God truthfully, as he really is, and yet it is in no way opposed to simultaneously loving him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Surely the greatest proof of this is that a healthy and joyous fear of God would be characteristic of God’s promised Messiah:

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. (Isa 11:1-3)

If the one who would prove to be God’s own beloved Son could delight in fearing him, so can we.

In future articles we will dig more deeply into the Scriptures and consider what specific things we are to fear about God—Father, Son and Spirit—and what are the right responses to this fear. We’ll also explore what the fear of God should feel like, when Christians should be awestruck by the fearsome wonder of God, and when it’s right to be downright scared before him.

Don’t neglect fear

Lastly, I want to reflect on the importance of understanding and teaching fear rightly and not neglecting it. As we have seen, there is healthy fear and unhealthy fear—constructive and destructive. In Deuteronomy 5:29, our God views the fear of him as very much of the constructive variety: “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” But have we become so afraid of the destructive kind that we have failed to teach adequately this healthy kind?

Perhaps the fear of God is the most neglected doctrine of western Christianity. Personal and corporate piety has been under attack from a combination of the prevailing assumption we inherit from our culture—the sovereignty of the individual—and a sentimentalizing domestication of the Lord God Almighty. This has given us an unhealthy complacency that makes us disturbingly slow to humble ourselves before God and to act as he wants us to act.

What makes a Christian slow to obey God’s word? What might cause a person to question or challenge God’s ways? What might make us reluctant to differentiate ourselves from the ungodly behaviour and values of our culture and peers? What might contribute to our speed in judging others and our tardiness in forgiving them?

Conversely, why do we find church discipline and rebuking one another so hard? Why is there a growing habit amongst Christians of misusing the Lord’s name (think how often you hear or read ‘OMG’)? How about a lack of urgency in evangelism, a lack of discipline in prayer and Bible reading, a lack of respect or reverence for the authorities God has placed over us in family, church and government? What attitude could be missing? When a brother or sister is hardening their heart towards God in continual sin, why do we continually rely upon the carrot to win them back? When is it time to show them what is a very real stick? How ready are we to sit down with them to plead with them and warn them as the Scriptures do—that should they continue down that path, they would be insulting the Spirit of Grace and treating as an unholy thing the blood that sanctifies them, and all that would await them is the fearful expectation of judgement and raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Heb 10:26)? Such people are foolishly putting themselves in a truly terrifying position, yet so often we appeal to them with intellectual arguments or, worse still, just watch sadly from the safety of the riverbank as they drift towards destruction. I guess what I am suggesting is this: should we be surprised that there is a growth of foolishness amongst Christians when we neglect to nurture one another in the most foundational aspect of being wise—the fear of God?

Because of sin, we will always struggle in many of these areas, but in each of them, the struggle is lessened when our fear of God is a healthy one. If Adam had feared God as he should he would not have eaten the fruit. I am not saying we should go back to speaking of arrows of judgement being “made drunk with” people’s blood. Moses said, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exod 20:20). When we fail to call on one another to fear God we fail to represent God as he truly is, and we remove from our pastoral kit bags one of the tools that he has given us for training one another to be more like Jesus.

“This is as good as it gets” the man assured me. I was initially shocked, but then deeply saddened by his statement. It was an astonishing statement—but there was no doubting the sincerity with which he was speaking.

It was the night before the Commonwealth Day Service in the Cathedral. Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Edward were all to be present. We had been engaged in difficult negotiations for months, as the different vested interests tried to dictate how we should run the service. To their annoyance, there was no way we would budge from faithfulness to Christ and the ministry of the gospel. A repetition of the multi-faith and Christless service conducted each year in Westminster Abbey was totally unsuitable. But the gathering had to express the values and diversity of the Commonwealth of Nations. So we constructed a new liturgy that would satisfy the requirements of the Palace, the Commonwealth office, the Federal and State governments, while maintaining our own integrity as servants of the gospel of Jesus. We had worked through innumerable meetings and roadblocks and come up with a solution that had gained acceptance from all parties involved. Or at least I thought we had. But at the rehearsal on the night before the big day the conflicts arose again—this time over the seating!

Members of the Cathedral, even Chapter members, were tolerated but not really welcome. More than that, ‘important people’ were desperate not only to be present but also to gain the best seats. The protocol, which preserved and established the hierarchy of office bearers, was being tested to the maximum. Does a Supreme Court Judge sit ahead of the Lord Mayor or behind? Does a community leader sit in front or behind a pillar? It mattered little that many of these people were publically known to be opposed to monarchy—be it Queen Elizabeth II or the Lord Jesus Christ. They were very keen to be present, and to be seen to be present, on this occasion and even, hopefully, to meet the Queen.

When I expressed my surprise that people were so desperate to secure their place, one of the protocol officers explained the crush to me. He reasoned that for many people this was the high point of their life. “This is as good as it gets!” he assured me. I frankly, was astonished. Surely there is more to life than this. Surely there is more in any person’s life than meeting the Queen—or sitting fifteen rows behind her! But he was not joking, or ridiculing the people who thought like this. He believed it of them and I wondered if he believed it for himself as well.

It is right and proper that Christians should uphold those in government over them. And this duty goes for the ungodly and unjust rulers as well as those who acknowledge God and rule with equity and peace for the good of all. We are to pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1ff) and, more than that, submit to and honour them (Romans 13:1ff, 1 Peter 2:13ff). Indeed Peter commands us to “Honour the emperor”, while Paul wrote of paying respect and honour to those to whom it was owed (1 Peter 2:17, Romans 13:8).

Duty and honour are generally not virtues we value. They require self-discipline and submission. We prefer virtues like freedom and generosity because they are not imposed upon us but determined by us. Even Christians are easily seduced into preferring the easy virtues our society values rather than the hard ones the Bible teaches. Yet, duty and honour are virtues that are deeply appropriate to the citizens of the Kingdom of God and subjects of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Honouring our Queen because she is God’s appointed ruler over us, may seem strange when she is a constitutional monarch who lives seventeen thousand kilometres away. Yet, this is the present constitutional arrangement of our nation. Whether we are republican, monarchist, democrats or constitutionally indifferent does not change the fact that at present Elizabeth II is “By the Grace of God, the Queen of Australia”, and, therefore, we have a duty to honour her.

Honouring the office is made easier by the honourable and dutiful way that the present office-bearer has undertaken her responsibilities. Queen Elizabeth has been, and continues to be, an example of honour and duty. At a time of life when most of us retire, she continues to work diligently, without any indication of stopping. Furthermore, her integrity seems to be based in a deep personal Christian faith. Last Christmas she made this so clear when she said that,

“God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.

“Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.

“It is my prayer that on this Christmas Day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.”

Next week is the official celebration of her Diamond Jubilee, marking her 60 year reign. St Andrew’s Cathedral will mark this occasion with a special celebration at 10:30am. Again ‘important people’ will visit us, though the whole Cathedral congregation will be welcome, especially to welcome our visitors, and I don’t expect there will be any clash over seating!

For some people, to be in the presence the queen, was as good as it gets. But we Christians know that daily we come into the presence of the king of kings, and that is as good as it gets.

The main lobby group promoting gay marriage yesterday distanced itself from polyamorists demanding to be included in the proposed reforms, saying marriage involving more than two people would undermine a traditional institution.

But trust me, it’s still a good story.

As you might expect, there is an explanation for this somewhat unusual behaviour, and I’ll come back to that. But in the meantime, I want to share with you what I learned from my visit.

I approached the casino, walked past the retail shops, and, with the sort of nervous feeling in my stomach that most non-Christians probably have when they enter a church building, marched purposefully into the main part of the casino. This consisted of a massive open space filled with hundreds and hundreds of gaming machines and tables, and only a few less people. I needed to find what I was looking for, and so explored the room.

I had come to the casino from another big room filled with hundreds of people. But the contrast could not have been greater.

The Equip Women conference at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre was held in a building with light streaming in through enormous glass walls that revealed wide views of the water and blue sky outside. When the women came out of the main auditorium, the sound of conversation and the shrieks of laughter and delight as women greeted each other, probably meant that under workplace health and safety laws I should have been wearing ear protection. The women came out of a series of talks that stimulated their minds, and challenged their hearts; they sang joyfully together, and shared the intimacy of joining in prayer to the Lord by whom they are united. And a more multicultural group of happy and united people you’d struggle to find anywhere.

The casino, on the other hand, was dark and dingy. There was no natural light—indeed no windows at all—and the cacophony of noise was not of people laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves, but of bells and beeps and fake mechanical sounds, as well as the silence of nobody interacting socially with anybody. I didn’t see anyone who seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was no happiness and laughter. Minds were not being stimulated and hearts lifted; in fact it appeared to be quite the opposite. It was a horrible place to be.

In my Bible study group, we’ve recently been studying the opening chapters of Romans, and as I walked out of the casino (with as much money in my pocket as I walked in with!) the phrase “God gave them over” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) came to mind. Like so many in our world, the people in that casino were mired in the depressing consequences of their own sin—God has given them over to their greed and folly. They are under God’s judgement. Yet they don’t seem to see it.

I came across a similar idea to Romans 1 in Psalm 81:12 where God describes Israel’s disobedience and his reaction to it:

So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.

But God judges Israel in this way not because he takes pleasure in the irony of people getting what they ask for, but because he longs for them to change:

Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! (v. 13)

Likewise, I took no pleasure at all in seeing people in the casino under a dreadful slavery to sin. It is very hard to take pleasure in it when several of my good friends suffer from the awful impact of gambling on their close family.

How do we help people such as were in the casino to see the judgement they are under, to listen to God, and walk in his ways?

How do we take the light to such dark places, I wonder?

[Oh, now I suppose you want to know why I went to the casino in the first place. Well, we ran out of coins for change at the Equip conference bookstall, and we thought we might be able to exchange some notes for coins at a change machine or cashier in the casino. As it turned out, the casino gaming machines don’t use coins anymore; it’s a minimum of $5 to play apparently. So it was a fruitless trip—other than reminding me of the truth of God’s word, and the need for the light of the gospel to be shone in such places. So perhaps it wasn’t altogether fruitless.]

flickr: chefranden

Well, actually, you should. But I got your attention, didn’t I? And I want to suggest there is something even better than memorizing Bible verses. Here it is: memorizing Bible passages.

I can almost hear you sigh. Who wants to be told they should memorize more of the Bible? If you’re anything like me, you tried to learn some Bible verses once, and you’ve forgotten them all, except a few stray words. And now I’m telling you that you should learn whole passages?

Yes, I am; but it’s not really a case of “should”. The Bible never tells me that I have to memorize this much this way. Memorizing Bible passages (and even whole books) isn’t really work to me. It’s joy. And that’s from someone with a terrible memory, even at my sparkling best. I did the bulk of my Bible memorization while I was a brain-dead sleep-deprived baby-toting mum. I’ve been doing this for years now: years of revelling in the best words in the world. I’m not asking you to take up a difficult duty, but inviting you to a feast (Psalm 119:103).

Why passages, not just verses? Because they are easier to learn. They stick in your head in a way that individual Bible verses are never likely to – at least if your brain is anything like mine. That’s because they come with meaning attached. They come with context, and meaning opening like a flower, and movement and mystery and structure and poetry and – did I mention meaning? They’re not just stray bits of information floating around an overloaded mind.

Why passages, not just verses? Because they are more useful to remember. Instead of a single nail, they give you a shelf to rest your thoughts on. Instead of a dot point, they give you an argument to wend your way through. Instead of a hut, they give you a mansion where you can lay your anxieties down to rest. They give you expressions for your praise and poetry for your laments and words for your encouragement. They give you food for reflection and prayer when you can’t sleep or when you’re going for a walk or when you’re waiting for the bus.

Why passages, not just verses? Because they are a lot more fun to recall, so you’ll recall them a lot. Because they’re full of meaning and sweetness, you’ll call them to mind again and again; and this will drive them so deeply into your heart that you will never forget them. You’ll do most of your memorizing when you’re not memorizing, just recalling your favourite passages, in the same way that you remember a special place, your greatest experience, or the face of a lover or a friend.

Have I convinced you? Have I even begun to convince you? I hope so. Because this is the first in a series. Next time, I’ll talk about the what of Bible memorization (which passages would be good to learn first?); then the how of Bible memorization (how on earth do I get those passages into my sluggish brain?); and, finally, the why of Bible memorization (what’s the point of all this anyway?). If going from what to how to why sounds a little backwards, yes, it is. But you’ve heard it often enough around the other way around. So I thought I’d shake things up a bit.

Why passages, not just verses? Because God has invited us to a feast. Let’s not stop at the hors d’oeuvres.

What’s your experience (if any) of Scripture memorization? How well do you remember what you learned? And how do you feel when you hear the words “Bible memorization”:

a) jumping for joy (I can’t wait!)
b) yawning widely (I’ve heard this before)
c) bewildered (No-one does that any more!)
d) guilty and anxious (I know I should, but it all sounds too hard.)?

Be honest!