Bible memorization has gotten a bad rap. It’s hard. It’s boring. It is a “work” that we don’t need in this “Grace Alone” generation.
And yet the spiritual giants of our day, and for centuries past, have ALL memorized large pieces of scripture.
How was Joshua to keep the book on his lips and meditate on it day and night? (Joshua 1:8)
How did Jesus defeat Satan during the temptation in the desert? (Luke 4)
How do I delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night? (Psalm 1)
Blessed is the one
Psalm 1:1-3
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Find a few verses to get started
We have here a collection of verses to start with. We chose them because they help to strengthen our sense of Who God Is and Who We Are. Of course, add any that you discover as you read the Word, or listen to teachers, or read great books. Keep a list of verses you would like to learn over time.
It really is not hard
The best way I have ever found to memorize is through meditation. How? I take the verse into very small phrases and repeat that phrase many times over several minutes. Sometimes, questions come up that I need to research. What does the verse actually mean? Sometimes I just need to allow the verse to combat the self-talk that is defeating me.
Each day, I choose a different phrase of the verse. By the end of the week, the verse is solid in my heart.
On Saturdays, I go through my list of old verses and repeat them again, just to keep them fresh. You might want to write them out on cards, so you can review them. You can do this! And it’s so important.
Here is an article by John Piper describing his practice of memorization. He also talks about other spiritual leaders, such as Charles Swindoll, Dallas Willard and Martin Luther, who have made memorizing scripture a permanent part of their spiritual formation.
It’s time to start!
