Hidden Within

Psalm 119:11/Mark 1:35

NKJV

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

NKJV

“Now in the morning, haven risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

Rising early is a discipline for me. Most days the mornings are a bit of a drudge to get through, half asleep and half awake. However, the consistent rewards later on make the early morning worth it. Spending time in Gods word and prayer have become essential to keeping my head on straight during the day. Whether its only a few verses, or a few chapters, its a discipline that needs to be done so that my heart may be emptied of me and filled with Him. Now what's the significance of rising early to do this? Why cant it be done later? Quite simply, Jesus did it. Not even the birds are singing when I am awake. But God is. He never sleeps, He never slumbers. I get to start my day off with the One who created me, sustains me, and protects me. While I may not feel wide awake, He is. I am not pressured into long prayers or a certain amount of reading. I need only to meet with Him and release the burdens of the day, receive the love of God, all to release and pour it out on those around.

As I hide the word of God within my heart, it becomes the moral compass to my life. Having peace rule my heart becomes a way of life. Anxieties become nullified as I recite “Within the multitude of my anxieties, your comforts delight my soul.” I am armed with strength and endurance as I recite within myself “But they who wait for the Lord shall have their strength renewed, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Gods word becomes more and more valuable to my life each and every day. By the hiding of His word in my heart, it grows a healthy fear of being disobedient to it. I know the consequences of disobeying His word, and the more I hide in my heart, the less I find myself falling into sins. His word is the sword that I use to rip down the lies Satan plants in my mind, that digs out the fiery arrows of sinful nature that pierce me and get past the shield of faith. If I’m ever to amount to who God has created me to be, rising early to be with Him alone and hiding His word in my heart so that I may not sin against Him is unquestionably essential.