Growing up, every week at church we would receive one single Jelly Belly if we memorized a short Bible verse. I would work on that verse all week - or sometimes I would cram it all in on a single Friday night in order to be able to recite it the next day in church. Every 13 weeks, we would get a special treat if we were able to recite all of the verses from the previous 13 lessons, and I always wanted to ensure I was in on that!
After getting older and aging out of the programs, I stopped memorizing the Bible intentionally. There really was no need to now that I wasn’t getting one single Jelly Belly each week. Plus, I had a job now and could buy all the Jelly Belly treats that I wanted.
A while ago, a verse floated through my mind - funnily enough, one that I had memorized as a child:
“Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You. ”
It started rolling around in my mind and I started wondering why I had stopped hiding God’s Word in my heart. As a teacher in a Christian School, I had been requiring my students to memorize Scripture as well and I realized that as a result of many verses hidden in my heart, it had been easy for me to remember what God wanted of me. And because I love Him and I want to do what He wants, knowing Scripture made it easy to do that.
So I set out to intentionally begin memorizing the promises in His Word.
Why? For just a few key reasons:
To enhance Bible study
To have the verses in my heart when I need them
To keep me in check
To protect me from the lies of the devil and others
To have encouragement for myself and to share that encouragement with others
How Can I Memorize Scripture?
Today, I want to share some easy steps on how to go about memorizing Scripture. I’ll also be sharing a few different strategies I’ve used and a few I know others use. Everyone has a way of doing things! I’d love it if you stuck around to the end and left a comment telling me what technique you use (or want to start using) as well!
Steps I Take
Set Quiet Time Aside
Quiet time is so important to not just memorize mechanically but to really dwell on the text. I like to memorize out loud (I need to hear it), so being alone helps me to really focus and not think so much about what the other person in the room is thinking about me.
Read and Study
I think this is pretty straight forward. I love studying out the text to help me build connections as I memorize. I find it much much easier to memorize larger chunks at a time, rather than one verse here and there. In fact, one of my first conscious memorizing endeavors was learning an entire book - chapter by chapter, of course, but by the end, I could say the entire book in one sitting.
Repeat
I repeat the texts out loud (see why I like to find a quiet alone spot?) to really get them into my mind. Repetition is key for me.
Listen
I do this in a few ways. I use a Bible reading app to listen to (and quote along with) but I sometimes will record myself and listen to that as well. I mean, I’ve memorized entire radio dramas just by listening to them so many times, so why not memorize the Bible this way? This way, it’s also easy to make progress while I’m driving or exercising!
Write
The hand to brain connection is stronger than we think. I like to write out the verses or chapters by hand. It’s a totally different way to experience Scripture! You can even dedicate a special notebook to write your verses out in if you like.
Share with a Friend
This can be taken in a few different ways. One idea is to have an accountability partner who is willing to listen to you spout off a few verses as you internalize. Another option is just finding a friend each day to talk to about what you’ve been learning as you memorize - and trust me, you WILL be learning as you memorize.
Some Additional Strategies:
Chunk Verses
Use Rhythm - put the words to a certain rhythm (also good for memorizing sheet music, strangely enough)
Use Song - put the verses to song!
Visualize - what do you see as you hear the words?
Write it out
Start an accountability group or find a partner to join you
Move while reciting - movement gets those brain cells working!
Dramatize - act it out with voice or movement or both!
Use a Scripture Memorization App
Memorize Large portions
Use flashcards if you want to memorize short verses
Whatever method you use to get God’s Word in your heart, just know it’s better off in there than collecting dust on a shelf!
Do you memorize Scripture? Would you like to? What strategies do you use to memorize?
