Memorizing God’s Word get_app
Memorizing God’s Word is hard. Most of us don’t like doing it. (Neither do I, most of the time.) Most of us probably don’t do it. (Neither do I, most of the time.) However, there is tremendous value in memorizing God’s Word. Imagine if someone offered you $1000 dollars for every verse you memorized. Even if it was only $10, most of us would eagerly start memorizing as we realized the vast amount of money that could be earned. Yet, there is no financial reward that compares to the value of God’s Word.
When we treasure God’s Word by storing it in our minds, “it is available for the Holy Spirit to bring to [our] attention when [we] need it most” (Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines, 39). That’s why memorizing God’s Word is not just for kids, and having digital Bibles with us all the time does not make it unnecessary.
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Why does the psalmist store God’s Word in his heart? (so he will not sin against God)
How does memorizing God’s Word strengthen our faith and keep us from sinning? (the Spirit uses it and brings it to mind)
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Why does this proverb say we should keep the wisdom and truth of Scripture within us and have it ready on our lips? (that your trust may be in the Lord; in other words, to strengthen your faith)
There are many reasons we should memorize God’s Word. It strengthens our faith, as Proverbs
tells us; it prepares us to witness to and counsel others rightly; it provides guidance and keeps
us from sin; and, it provides us with troves of joyous truths on which to focus our minds (
“But I can’t memorize. I have a bad memory.” No, you don’t. If you remember your birthday, phone number, address, and the names of friends and family, then you can memorize Scripture. We simply have to discipline ourselves to do it.
How do we get started? There are tons of ways; take your pick. Write them on index cards; use an app on your phone; write, listen, repeat back. The important thing is to do it (whatever method works best for you). When you start, be sure to memorize each verse perfectly (no getting the “main idea”), keep yourself accountable (through reminders or a partner), and review daily (or you’ll lose most of it over time).