Eating God’s Word

Haralan Popov was persecuted for his faith for thirteen years in Bulgaria. He tells his story in Tortured for His Faith. Popov endured many trials for Christ, with remarkable faith and commitment to the Lord throughout. On one occasion, he discusses how memorizing Scripture emboldened and empowered him to share the gospel with fellow prisoners even in the face of ongoing torture. “Realizing I wouldn’t have the Testament for long,” he writes, “I decided to memorize as much of it as possible. I began to ‘eat’ God’s Word, memorizing many verses every day. Everywhere I went I had the Testament with me. I always found occasion to study it. First, I memorized 1 Peter, then Ephesians, 1 John, the gospel of John, Romans 1, 5 and 8, 1 Corinthians 13 and 14, and 2 Corinthians 5. Forty-seven chapters in all” (Haralan Popov, Tortured for His Faith [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970], 109–10). Our knowledge of God’s Word can help us navigate the most difficult seasons in our lives.