“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” – Proverbs 4:20-23
Memorizing scripture is a helpful tool for all Christians. Jesus even memorized scripture. That’s how he was able to counter all of the devil’s temptations in the wilderness after being baptized (Matthew 4:1-11). We are called to memorize scripture because it helps us live in obedience to His Word. It gives us everything we need to encourage fellow believers and be ready to give a defense for our hope in Christ.
“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 7:1-3
I also memorize scripture because it helps me learn about God, think of the Bible in times of need, and know how I should behave as a Christian in any situation. I realized I won’t always have the Bible with me, and if I don’t know the Bible well enough I won’t know where to look for what I need.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” – Colossians 3:16
5 Ways I Memorize Scripture
- Flash Cards – The same way I used to study information in school helps me memorize God’s Word. I choose specific verses that I want to commit to memory and I study them daily.
- Re-Writing – Writing things down helps us to remember them. So, I write down the verses I want to remember. I will write them as many times as necessary until I no longer have to look at the previous words in order to write it down.
- Repeating – I underestimated the effectiveness of repeating verses out loud at first, but it is a very helpful tool for memorizing Bible verses. Repeating verses works just like re-writing them; I repeat it enough times until I don’t have to read it in order to repeat it.
- “Verses” App – I love this app because it gives me many different ways to practice memorizing scripture. It’s affordable, timeless, and a great way to avoid playing mindless apps on my phone when I get bored.
- Workbooks – Amazon has tons of workbooks that help with memorizing scripture. I also love The Daily Grace Co. workbooks as well.
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” – Psalm 119: 9-16
Dawn DiFiore 