The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
Isaiah 40:8
We’ve all done it.
Maybe you’ve even done it today. You need to remember something important, but you don’t write it down. Either it’s too important that you couldn’t possibly forget it, or you trust yourself to remember because, how could you possibly forget to buy milk or feed the dog or get gas on your way home?
But then you forget. And there’s no milk. And the dog hasn’t eaten all day. And your “empty” light flashes as soon as you hit traffic on 285. All because you didn’t write it down.
We forget all kinds of things because we don’t write them down. Whether it is as simple as groceries or daily chores, or whether it’s more important, like calling your mom on her birthday or meeting a work deadline.
Studies have shown that writing things down helps us remember and process the words we’re recording more thoroughly than typing does. Yes, that means you’re more likely to remember something you write on a post it note and stick to your bathroom mirror than something you type as a reminder on your phone! Writing engages our body, connecting our thoughts and actions. The same way we have muscle memory and can write our name without looking, our brain remembers things we’ve written down more fully than things we’ve typed (or not written down at all).
Great news as you’re reading this on your phone, and making a grocery list in your notes app, right?
There’s nothing wrong with using technology to help us remember. But when it comes to the most important things in life, writing is a much more effective memory tool.
When we’re talking about remembering the truth of God’s character, writing it down is the first step in remembering and believing who God is.
When God gave Israel, His chosen people, the law they were to live by, He instructed them to “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:8–9).
When God gave His prophets a message, He told them to “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets” (Habakkuk 2:2).
And as God gives us wisdom through His Word and the Holy Spirit, we are to remember it by writing it down, never letting it leave us: “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3).
God knew His people would forget His laws. He knew they would forget His promises and His character. So He told them to write it down. The same is true for us. Without writing it down, without taking time to focus on the truth of who He is, what He has done, and what He promises to do, we will forget. Like the Israelites often forgot who their God was, so will we. Writing down the truth of God’s character helps us remember.
God gives us incredible promises in His Word. He tells us who He is, and He always lives up to it. But it can be easy to forget His promises and forget His character. The world is loud. It takes up our time and attention. We have to fight to remember our God. Writing it down is the first step. Writing out the truth of who God is as revealed in His Word helps us remember that He is good, that He is trustworthy, that He is compassionate, and that He keeps His promises.
This week, our challenge for you is to set aside some time to write down the truth of who God is. Isaiah 40 gives us some great insight about the character and promises of God. Would you take a few minutes to write out this chapter of Scripture? Say the words aloud as you write them down. Write it more than once. Tape it on your mirror, your steering wheel, or your kitchen cabinet to remember who God is.
His Word will last forever. Let’s make sure it lasts forever in our hearts by writing it down as we seek to commit it to memory.
💛 JFWomen
