Write Out the Word

“[The Law] is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God.”—Deuteronomy 17:19

Do you remember in school when the teacher would instruct the class to copy a list from the chalkboard? It seemed like meaningless busywork. But the teacher knew that if you wrote out the material for yourself, you were more likely to grasp and remember the concepts.

God knew how prone His people were to forget what He had told them. Over and over, He challenged them to “remember” Him, to remember His law and what He had done for them. Writing out His Word was one practical way to help them remember.

And it can help us remember. Taking time to write out specific passages from the Word forces us to think about what we’re reading. A friend shared with me the blessing he’s received from copying out the Gospel of Luke. Another friend copies paragraphs of the Bible onto three-by-five- inch cards and then memorizes and meditates on those passages while running on the treadmill.