Memorizing Scripture

What was the last Bible verse you memorized?

Memorizing anything can seem tedious and even though scripture is the most important thing you could memorize, it can seem the most difficult. This blog post is a guest post about memorizing scripture from my oldest daughter, Jessica. She is the best memorizer I know.

Let’s look at why memorization important and get some practical tips to get into this spiritual discipline.

The first reason to memorize scripture is because God says to do so. In Deuteronomy 11:18, God tells His children to “lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between our eyes.” Since 2 Timothy 3 tells us that “all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” we can assume that God’s command to put His word in our heart and soul is for all of scripture and to all of His children. Also, memorizing scripture helps us to avoid sin as is stated in Psalm 119:11. It helps us to know what is wrong by knowing the truth of God. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God discerns our thoughts and and intentions. This will help us to weed out sin in our life and walk in a godly way. It will allow us to speak words of truth to ourselves to change our attitude, speech and actions. It will also allow us to know and speak truth to others.

So, how do we get started? First, choose a passage of scripture. It can be one verse or a group of verses. Choose something that God has been using to speak to you or a verse related to something you are struggling with. The method I use is to read the verse several times then try to repeat it back without looking, either in my head or aloud, several times. Then, write it down and see if I got it correct. Do this daily or several times a day. You can write it on a card and post it in your car, on your desk, your bathroom mirror, or somewhere else you will see it often. If memorizing a larger portion of scripture, I use the same method above but one additional step. After working on that day’s sentence or verse, I try to repeat a larger section that has come before it, either from the beginning of the paragraph or the chapter. This helps to practice those verses and to see if I remember the new verse by the end. Finally, when you are getting it down, say it to someone else. This will help you see if you are getting it correct and encourage them with some scripture. 

 Some people also use apps that let you use games, flashcards, and daily reminders to help you memorize. Some even give you the first letter of each word in a verse if you need a prompt like that. Making the effort to memorize scripture is important no matter what method you use. Memorizing scripture with a friend for accountability is another great option. 

This practice of memorizing Bible verses will help you to be able to meditate on scripture throughout the day as it is now in your mind and it will start to be brought to mind by the Holy Spirit in different situations as it becomes impressed on your heart. Comment below with the verse/s you are going to memorize!

Table Talk: Have you ever memorized Psalm 92? What was the longest passage of scripture you memorized? What is a verse you memorized as a child that you can still recite?

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