It’s one of the top three guilt-trips for Christians: daily Bible reading (more than a verse or two) takes the gold; daily prayer (beyond “God help me!”) claims silver; and Scripture memorization, even a verse or two, is the lesser-recognized bronze medal winner. Yet most of us recognize that these are also the most rewarding spiritual disciplines. Bible reading and prayer are more than likely more intuitive, so I’d like to spend a bit of space here on memorization, and not “just” memorization alone, but extended Scripture memorization. By “extended” here, I mean at least entire chapters, but also whole books.
The first question when it comes to extended Scripture memorization is why? Why should one bother taking the time and making the effort – because it does take a good investment of both – to memorize chapters and books? Is there really any reason to put that much work into it when the same passage can just be read? I would argue yes, there is a reason. More than one, actually, but I’ll list just 3. (And just to be clear, presentation order is no indication of importance.)
Firstly, if we truly treasure the Word of the Lord (see my post entitled “Great Spoil” on a few verses from Psalm 119 here), then how we choose to spend our time will reflect that. The work and the effort and the time can be a small way we demonstrate, both to the Lord and to ourselves, that we aren’t just giving lip service to the value of His Word. We treasure it, we spend time in it, and we make the effort to truly KNOW it.
Secondly, it affords a greater and deeper understanding of His Word. The repetition and focus on each word and phrase and comma and detail bring deeper insights into the flow of the words and the progression of thought and logic, and allows for a better understanding of how each chapter connects with the others. Many of these connections are missed in the casual and cursory reading that occurs in the average daily Bible reading.
Thirdly, it’s helpful in combating sin. Jesus set this example for us when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11 gives us the clearest picture of this. Psalm 119:11 backs this up, saying “I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (ESV) Although it is possible that the Holy Spirit will bring completely unfamiliar Scriptures to mind when we need them, I think it far more likely that He will bring to mind those Scriptures which we know and have committed to memory, not only in times of temptation but also in conversation, in moments of hardship and difficulty, in times of confusion and bewilderment. I’d rather make sure there’s a wide variety at His disposal, so to speak, than presume that He’ll bring to mind something completely unbidden. The Word of the Lord is indeed a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, but only when we know it and use it.
One frequent objection to memorization is the practicalities. I’ve heard countless times, “Oh I could never do that; I just can’t memorize.” I suppose technically that might be true of a couple people, but I think it more likely that the methods that have been tried don’t work well for that particular person. There are different learning styles (auditory, visual, kinetic, etc), and there are different memorization styles as well (which probably correlate to learning styles at least a little bit). My favorite is basically rote repetition, but some prefer to write out sections, or take a verse a day, or do fill in the blank exercises, or set the words to music. The only “wrong” way to do it is to not do it at all, in my opinion. The Gospel Coalition has some great resources, including several blog posts written by Justin Taylor (thegospelcoalition.org, search on memorization) and an interview between Nancy Guthrie and Andy Davis on Scripture memorization for teachers. (Or you can ask me if you need a recommendation for how to get started.)
The last objection I’ll address today has to do with “maintenance”. This usually comes from someone who has previously memorized a passage, but has since forgotten it. It still counts. Those connections are still made, it’s still buried in your brain somewhere, and whether you can spit it out cold or not doesn’t matter quite so much. Though I think it’s probably ideal to maintain what has been memorized, I don’t think the practicalities of reviewing all that has once been memorized should prevent anyone from committing to memory an additional passage.
So now you know my thoughts, and I’m curious to know yours: have you ever memorized an entire chapter or more? Would you consider doing so now? Which portion of Scripture would you most want to have memorized? Tell me in the comments below!
At a local Christian school, the 5th graders throughout the year memorize the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6 & 7). I happily “tested” some of them on it at the end of the year. Wow! They will have that buried in their heart. Personally, I memorized in years past but haven’t added any for quite a while. (Time to get going!) My husband has memorized a lot and reviews every day – I use him as my concordance – though I don’t know if he has memorized large chunks like you suggest.
A friend and I were memorizing scripture together years ago. I ended up memorizing the book of Philippians and the book of James. It was a great time of learning and focusing on God’s word. Unfortunately, as I’ve gotten older, memorizing has become much harder for me. You have given me a reason to consider this again. Thanks.