Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9-16

Four-year-old Lilia held her mom’s hand as she walked home from school. “Look at all the squirrels!” she squealed.

“They’re gathering food for winter,” her brother Casen informed her. “We learned all about it in school today.”

“Gathering food for winter?” Lilia repeated. “Why do they need to do that?”

“Because when winter comes, there’s a lot of snow. You like to make snowmen with it, remember? It’s hard for the squirrels to find food when the ground is covered with snow, so right now they’re gathering lots of nuts and hiding them in certain spots.” Casen shrugged. “Then hopefully they remember where the food is when they need it.”

“That’s cool,” Lilia replied. “I like the black squirrels best.”

“Casen, did you memorize your verse for church club tonight?” Mom asked.

Casen frowned and kicked a rock on the sidewalk. “Verses are hard to memorize. I don’t see why I have to memorize them if they’re in my Bible anyway.”

Mom watched as Lilia cooed at a squirrel. “Casen, this reminds me of what you learned in school today.”

“About squirrels?” Casen asked.

“Yes, about squirrels.” Mom smiled. “The squirrels take the time to gather their food and hide it away for when they need it. There’s a verse in the Bible that tells us to hide God’s Word in our hearts.”

“So we have verses when we need them?” Casen asked.

“Exactly,” Mom replied. “You don’t always have your Bible, and being able to remember verses is helpful–like how I remembered Psalm 119:11 just now. That one goes, ‘Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.’ God’s Word is powerful because it tells us the truth of who God is and what Jesus did for us on the cross, and it guides us in living as God’s children and showing others His love. When we memorize verses, we’re storing God’s Word in our hearts so it’s there to remind us of His truth and love and give us encouragement whenever we need it.”

Casen was quiet for a moment as he watched a squirrel dash across the neighbor’s yard. “I’ll work on my memory verse when we get home,” he said. “I’ll hide verses in my heart just like the squirrels are hiding their food.”

–Kimberly Brokish

How About You?
Have you ever seen squirrels running around in the fall, hiding their food? We can do the same thing with our spiritual food–God’s Word. When we memorize Bible verses, we’re hiding the truth and promises of God in our hearts so they are there to nourish us whenever we need them. So take out your Bible and find a few verses you would like to start memorizing today!

Today’s Key Verse:
Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (NKJV) ( Psalm 119:11)

Today’s Key Thought:
Hide verses in your heart