Hiding It in Your Heart

We can be encouraged by how God is moving in the younger generations, and give Him the praise for what He is doing. Psalm 78 says:
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

In Psalm 119, we can read about the power of God's Word, with a specific mention of young people:
9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!

On this day before Thanksgiving, I believe we can be thankful for all that we see God doing around our nation and world today.  Not the least of which, the numerous instances of young people who are responding to the Lord in incredible ways, as we have seen at various college campuses, including Asbury, Auburn, Alabama, and others.

And, while there has been plenty of focus on Gen Z, there's another generation coming - Generation Alpha, described as young people born in or after 2010.  So, mid-teenagers and younger are today's Generation Alpha.

There is a trend among this generation that is centered around the learning of God's Word and being able to recite it in a pressure-packed situation.  And, the New York Times, of all places, published a positive look at the growth of the National Bible Bee.  The article, published on November 15, led off with part of the story of a 9-year-old named Daniel Chew, saying:

On Thursday morning under spotlights on a stage in Orlando, Fla., Daniel smoothly recited 19 verses from the New Testament book of Romans to win the finals for his age group at the 16th annual National Bible Bee.

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,” Daniel began, reciting the 350-word passage from Romans 12.

He was one of about 360 children and teenagers assembled this week for a competition whose slogan is “To know God’s Word and make Him known.”

The article, by Ruth Graham of the Times, goes on to say:

The Bee has achieved a quiet kind of celebrity status in some Christian circles, and video clips of its young competitors sometimes circulate beyond those communities on social media. The competition demands astonishing feats of memorization that make the televised National Spelling Bee look like a game of tic-tac-toe. Competitors at Daniel’s level memorized more than 570 verses, which they were expected to be able to recite on command.

At the senior level, ages 15 to 18, participants memorize 938 Bible verses, adding up to more than 20,000 words. In some rounds of competition, making even a single error in a long passage — an errant plural or wrong verb tense — leads to elimination.

Graham referred to the Urrego family from California; they "see the Bible Bee as an anchor for their children in a society where, they said, 'truth' is contested by artificial intelligence and pluralism." 

The article includes quotes from executive director Brian Mullins; it states:

Participation has grown significantly since its first gathering in 2009, and it has doubled since 2021, according to Mr. Mullins. This year, almost 13,000 young people took part in the summer training program that feeds into the competition, a record “by far,” he said.

And, the impact?  Consider this from the article: 

The children who compete are “going to go out into the culture and have a tremendous impact for the kingdom of God,” said Heidi St. John, a co-host, during the event’s final day. “Your kids are ready for this fight.”

She co-hosted the event with David and Jason Benham; the article quoted from David:

“Think about children today, right now, struggling with anxiety, suicide, depression at an all-time high, fentanyl abuse, all of this,” David Benham said. He quoted a verse in the gospel of John, in which Jesus promises his followers the gift of peace.

“This is a gift that social media is not going to give you,” he said. “This is a gift that money is not going to give you, or illicit sex is not going to give you, or switching your gender is not going to give you.”

This really is amazing, isn't it?  Just the volume of Scripture that these young people are remembering and reciting.  I think it can challenge us to make God's Word a part of our consciousness, to absorb it so that when we face decisions or trials, we have downloaded the Word of God into the recesses of our minds.  The Bible talks about the transformation, the change that comes, as we "renew" our minds through our knowledge of Scripture. 

The participation in the Bible Bee should send a strong message about the capacity of our young people, as well as adults, to allow God's Word to become a part of them. And, we can be confident that the Church's knowledge of Scripture and its obedience and application, can send a strong message to our society.  David Benham mentioned negative trends we are facing today. I submit that the Word of God can provide a different, more hopeful, direction.