Commit It To Memory
Immersing ourselves in God's Word . . .
Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve written a post for the YA Section . . . at least, i think that’s what they’re calling it now . . .
I’m Melody Polar, and I use to write the devotionals for the YA Section (or the Controversial Book Club, as it was called then) before it moved to Substack. After I left, I started my own Christian blog (which you can find here), but I thought I’d come help out Jack and the rest of the team by writing a guest post!
So, enough with the nostalgia and biography, and let’s see what we can learn from God’s Word today . . . and also discover some tips on how to hide It in our hearts!
Once upon a time — and this is a true story — we memorized Bible verses. As children, we would receive from our teacher — whether from school, Sunday School, a youth group, or what not — a verse to memorize, and about a week later we would be so proud of ourselves when we repeated it back to him or her word-for-word. For our successful endeavor, we usually would receive some kind of prize: candy, a sticker, or a pencil.
This is how it once was.
However, as we grow up, we aren’t given Bible verses to memorize anymore. All of that type of memory work now must be done out of our own initiative, and most of the time, if we’re honest, we’d rather do something else. Therefore, no new verses are added to our memory files, and often the old verses we were so proud of learning fade from our memory too.
Sadly, most of us don’t even realize this, and we often don’t think it important when we do. What reward are we getting out of it now? And how in the world are we supposed to even start picking a passage or working on memory?
Well, let me give you some much needed motivation!
Why We Need To Memorize Scripture
Way, way back in the book of Deuteronomy, God through Moses reminded the children of Israel of His commandments, and then He told them this:
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as a frontlet between your eyes. And ye shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
— Deuteronomy 11:18-19 KJV
God commanded the Israelites to lay up, or memorize, His Words in their heart and soul! Why? So that they might be as frontlets between their eyes!
Have you ever seen a picture of horse-drawn cab? Have you noticed the little black patches that cover the eyes of horses that draw these cabs? These patches are called blinders, and they cover the sides of the horse’s eyes so that he can only look ahead, and therefore he only walks forward unless told to do otherwise by the driver.
This is what the words in the Bible do. They keep your heart and mind focused on what God has for you to do. You see things through the light of Scripture, and make decisions based on what God has said.
This is what the Psalmist had done. He talks of it when he writes Psalm 119:11.
Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.
— Psalm 119:11
Hiding God’s Word in our heart keeps us from sinning.
You know what else hiding God’s Word in our hearts does? It give us comfort and hope! This is another thing the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 119.
My soul fainteth for Thy salvation: But I hope in Thy Word.
— Psalm 119:81
When we are at our darkest times, we can find hope in God’s Word. But sometimes, we don’t have access to a Bible at the moment. At times like that, we can draw comfort from the Words of God we have hidden in our hearts!
Tips For Memorizing
Ok, you say. But without the guiding of teachers, I’m not exactly sure how to start . . .
Don’t worry, my friend! I have compiled a list of some helpful tips to get you started!
Pick A Translation
Ok, this might sound a little obvious, but I did want to add it. When you memorize a verse, you need to know what translation it is, because some translations are a lot (and I do mean a lot) different than other ones. If you don’t know what translation to use, the translation your church uses is a good place to start. However, I personally recommend using either the ESV or the KJV. The language in the KJV is somewhat poetical, making it easier to memorize, and I’d say that the ESV is probably the most poetical of the modern day translations (it’s also my preferred text for study).
Pick A Passage
This might be another obvious one, but there is a lot that goes into picking a passage. First of all, I would recommend going back and rememorizing any verses you have forgotten.
After you have recommitted to memory those verses that you have lost, it is time to pick new ones to memorize. I would suggest picking based on one of the three things listed below.
Memorize verses that deal with things that are going on in your life right now.
Try memorizing a full chapter or section of the Bible that talks about a single topic. (Proverbs 31 is great for young ladies . . . 1 Corinthians 13 is a lovely passage on love . . . or charity, if you’re in the KJV . . . pick any passage that talks about a topic important to you.)
Once you feel comfortable with the first two, try challenging yourself with memorizing a whole book of the Bible! And before you start freaking out about how hard that is, remember that there are many short books in the Bible. For example, Philemon is only one chapter!
Create A Schedule
For some of y’all who like to go through life impulsively, this probably sounds awful, but bear with me here. All I mean is set aside a certain amount of time each day to memorize Scripture. Add a few extra minutes to your quiet time, or set aside a time when you know you have absolutely nothing to do. It doesn’t have to be the same time each day, but make sure you are spending time working on it.
Also, figure out how many verses you can memorize in how much time. For example, right now I can memorize 2-3 verses per day if I spend 30 minutes to an hour working on them. This might sound intense, but I’ve worked up to it over a couple months. Try starting out with 2-3 verses per week and work your way up. you might be surprised at how many verses you find you can memorize in a week!
Figure Out A Method of Memorization
This is pretty simple. Create a system of memorizing that works for you! For me, I generally read the verse aloud 10 times, write it twice, read it aloud 5 times, write it twice, say it aloud 10 times, and write it one last time. This is my system.
You might work better another way. I would say, however, that you should try incorporating reading, audio (whether listening to a recording or reading aloud), and writing into your system. This ends up using both your sense of sight and your sense of hearing, as well as making you slow down when you write it.
You can probably google all kinds of different methods of memorization if you need some more ideas!
Review, Review, Review!
Be careful not to lose the verses you’ve memorized! Once you stop working on memorizing them, it can be very easy to forget them! I’ve used two different methods for reviewing verses:
Paper Method: Set a review period. When the time comes up to review a verse, write it on a paper. Then check it with your Bible. If they don’t match, go review it for a few more days.
Digital Method: I have since switched from the paper method to using a verse locker app. I can create flashcards with the app as well as set a review interval. This way, my phone automatically reminds me to review the verse. Also, I don’t know if all verse locker apps do this, but mine allows me to record myself saying the verse, and then it will play the recording back to me once I flip the flashcard over to check the full verse. This makes reviewing verses so much easier! ( I use this app, but there are a few others I’ve seen on the app store.)
Immerse Yourself In God's Word!
I hope this article will help motivate you to start memorizing God’s Word, and I hope these tips will help jumpstart the process for you! I’ll leave you with a few more motivational Scriptures as I close out. (Pssst . . . These make some awesome memory verses! 😉)
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
— 2 Timothy 3:16-17
This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
— Joshua 1:8
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.
— Psalm 119:9
Let’s Pray!
Lord,
Thank you for the privilege of being able to read Your Word! Help us to realize the importance of storing It in our hearts. One day, we may no longer have free access, and it is then that we will need Your Word the most. Help us to commit Your Word to our hearts, so that we may be focused on Your ways, O Lord, and be prepared for whatever life may throw our way. Bring these verses that we memorize to our minds when we need them. Thank You, Lord, that we have the ability to do this!
It is for Your honor and glory that we pray,
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Related Songs:
( I didn’t mention this earlier, but singing a verse can help you memorize it!)
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Yes, I agree. Immersing ourselves in a great way to engage and experience God's transformative Word.