How To Memorize Scripture
If you’re reading this I’m going to guess that you’re most likely from America.
If you’re not, it’s likely that you’re still from a country where you have the ability to practice Christianity freely. If you are not, I commend you for pursuing Jesus regardless. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of memorizing scripture. I saw a quote from Ronald Reagan on the 4th of July that said:
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
Now I will not hesitate to mention that true eternal freedom only comes through Jesus and we are not truly free because a government says that we are. Additionally, as we've seen in the last year, we’re most definitely not as free as we once thought we were. That being said, we are privileged to live in America, a country where we still have the ability to practice the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. Over 25% of countries in the world are not allowed to read, print, distribute, or own Bibles (various degrees in varying countries and demographics). That leaves us in the high percentages of countries that are, but it is still a privilege nonetheless.
A privilege that at any time could be taken away.
If you’ve lived in America in the last ten to fifteen years, but especially the last year, you will have seen or maybe even experienced the change in the freedom that we have as Christians. I’d like to point out that just because we are allowed to gather and worship, doesn’t mean that it is accepted. In fact, the culture shift around Christians has gotten increasingly darker as the years have gone on, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to those of you who know the Bible. But especially in the last year, the freedom to gather and worship has become limited. The government put restrictions on worship unlike most of us have ever seen before. Even recently there have been pastors arrested for breaking protocols that have been made up on whims and the inconsistencies of enforcement among certain social groups is nauseating and the persecution (however insignificant in comparison to other countries) is clear. I won’t mention the said groups, but you know who I’m talking about. This post has already gotten much more political than I intended it to be, so let me cut to the chase.
As we start giving up little freedoms, which my generation and the one that comes before me has plenty of members that seem more than happy to do this, we will start losing more freedom. As we consent and/or refuse to speak up about giving up privacy, our freedom of speech (censorship) and our 2nd amendment rights, we are setting the precedent that the government can continue to take things from us. In 2020 alone we saw persecution through arrests and detainment of those worshipping and leading those in worship. Certain areas of America were worse than others, Canada (yes, I know, another country, but close nonetheless) was and still is horrific. If you turned a blind eye to that or applauded it, you need to think about everything else that you’d be willing to hand over, because it won’t stop there. We have the extreme privilege to live in a country where we still have the ability to read our Bibles and depending on what our governors say on any given day, gather to worship, but we may not always have that. We have to stop taking it for granted and believing that it will always be there. This is one of the reasons why it is so imperative that we know our Bibles and that we write scripture on our hearts and in our minds through memorization.
I’m going to step down from the doom and gloom soapbox for a moment because I do want to remind you again that true freedom is only through Jesus. There is absolutely nothing to fear if we have salvation through His sacrifice. We don’t have any guarantee of freedom on earth but if we have Jesus, that doesn’t have to be something that we are afraid of because no matter what happens at the end of the day, we are free and our God is bigger, stronger and our eternity is much sweeter than any amount of time we will spend on this globe.
Why else should we memorize the Bible?
Well, God makes it really clear that knowing Him through the words He has given us is a form of worship and it’s an important part of being in relationship with Him. If you don’t know what He says, how can you truly know Him?
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” - Colossians 3:16
God also makes it clear that we will be tested and tried throughout our lives. If we know what He says, we will know what to do.
“Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” - Proverbs 30:5
It’s important because the Bible talks about how wise men meditate day and night on scripture, but you can’t meditate on something that you don’t know- that’s not in your mind and heart. Memorizing takes it to the next level because it becomes a part of you that can’t be shaken, even if you don’t have your Bible. It is subconsciously there and that will help shape how you respond to situations and how you treat people.
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” - Joshua 1:8
Memorizing scripture is important because God tell us to read His word and although that should be enough, it is also an immense gift that He gave us, we should want to know it inside and out because it’s His letter to us.
We’ve established that it’s important. What are our obstacles?
Thankfully we don’t have the issue of not having access. We have abundant access through the internet, our phones and it is thought that the majority of Americans can access a Bible via local churches, ministries, in their own homes, local hotels and through libraries. There is an abundance of access.
I think that our biggest hurdle is that it’s just not that common to have to memorize things anymore. Tests are typically open-book or at least you’re allowed notecards. Presentations are all via powerpoint and notecards. It’s rare that you’d find a class that you’d have to truly memorize anything. This is a lost skill that we have to prioritize attaining. I’m thankful to have grown up in a homeschool community where memorization was important. Tests, presentations, speeches, Bible verses- it was common to have something always on the memorization docket. I’ve found that the key is repetition, association with feelings or meaning and the dedication to telling a story. That’s what the Bible is, right? A big ‘ole story. Memorizing scripture is just retelling a story. Once you get out of the verse-by-verse memorization zone where you’re striving to get every word perfectly, it becomes a lot easier to memorize. Now obviously you don’t want to change the whole thing because that can cause a litany of issues, but don’t get caught up in perfection.
Alright, I’m in, how?
Choose a translation that is easy for you to understand and that doesn’t have a bunch of long, complicated, hard to pronounce words that will leave you confused and detached to what God is even saying. I like the NIV, NKJV and the ESV. These are also generally accepted for accuracy to the original translation which is important to take into consideration.
You need to make this a priority and a habit. Choosing a verse or passage a week is a great place to start.
As for the actual memorization, choose a simple, short verse to start. Think through what is actually being said and find a real life application, this helps you to associate the word with action and emotion which will help you remember long term. This isn’t just listen and repeat, you’re literally writing it on your heart to be a part of you, that being said, you should know what it means. Look up commentary on the verse so that you understand the context and what the verse is saying. Then write the verse down on a notecard and put it somewhere you will see it often (mirror, car dash, kitchen sink, desk, etc.). Whenever you come across it, read it out loud. Once you start to feel like you know it, try reciting it by heart. Another easy thing to do is to find a pretty graphic and make it your phone or computer wallpaper so that you see and read it regularly- this will naturally help you to meditate on the verse. (Check out my Instagram reels where you can screenshot the verse of the week to memorize!)
What if you stumble on a part and you just can’t get past it? Read that part at least five times out loud. Take your time to focus on the connecting words and how those connect one thought to the next. Like when you’re telling a story, break the verse down into a beginning, a middle and an ending. Compartmentalizing the verse like this can help you to grasp the bigger picture and make it harder to forget because you already know what’s coming next.
Practice the verse regularly in conversation. You could even find a friend or family member to do this with for support and accountability. Like a second language, the more you practice with other people, the more proficient you will become.
Don’t rush yourself through it, take your time. You don’t want to quickly memorize verses, move on and then easily forget what you learned just last week. If one a week is too much for you, try one or two a month instead.
Once you’ve moved on to a new verse, go back and visit/recite the old ones so that you don’t lose them. Keeping a journal with memory verses is a great way to not lose track.
I guarantee that if you start prioritizing memorizing scripture that you will start to see a shift in your heart for others, in the thoughts that your mind produces and in the words that leave your mouth. You’ll find that you'll naturally think about scripture when you’re faced with tough situations. It’s a beautiful cycle and God knew what He was doing when He set it up. I hope that this encouraged you to start memorizing God’s word and to lead your friends and family in doing the same. Don’t forget to check out my reels on Instagram where I’ll be holding myself and you, if you’d like, accountable to memorizing verses weekly.