Many of us have multiple Bibles in our possession. We have them on our shelves and carry digital versions in our pockets. Memorization might seem like a discipline from a bygone era. But it’s still a very significant practice to cultivate.
Among its many benefits, memorizing Bible passages is helpful for spiritual growth, guidance, evangelism, self-control, and even comfort and encouragement. But it’s not a practice that many of us are familiar with, and it takes a little while to make it part of one’s daily routine.
Here are seven tips to help you make Scripture memorization a spiritual discipline that is part of your daily life.
1. Find a partner
Memorizing Scripture is so much easier if you’re doing it with others. You’re less likely to procrastinate or give up entirely with an accountability partner. Working alongside others keeps you motivated and gives you someone who can encourage and quiz you.
2. Pick the right verses
You can find a lot of lists that suggest verses you should memorize, and they can be beneficial. But if you want to excel at memorization early, focus on verses and passages that are meaningful to you. You’ll find these sections to be the easiest to memorize.
Once you develop the mental muscle memory that makes memorization more manageable, you can move on to other significant scriptural passages.
3. Break passages down into smaller pieces
At first, it might be a struggle to memorize entire verses at once. But if you break them into smaller fragments and assemble the passages as you have them memorized, it gets a lot easier. The more you do this, the longer those fragments can get.
4. Wash, rinse, repeat
Memorization is about repetition. You have to rehearse passages a lot before they’re committed to memory, so recite them to yourself throughout your day. Once you have them memorized, regular repetition will be critical to keep them fresh in your mind, or eventually, you’ll find that you can’t recall them so quickly.
5. Create a schedule
Like most things worth doing, you have to prioritize them. Memorization takes a lot of patience and work, so don’t assume you’ll find the time to make it happen. You’ll need to be tactical and intentional about creating a rhythm. Establishing a time that you work on memorization will be essential.
6. Create tools to help you
Whether you’re more of a digital or analog person, you’ll want to find ways to make memorization easier. You might be a person who places Post-it notes in strategic places or sets digital alarms to remind you to practice, or you might use the many Bible memory apps available at your fingertips. You can put many methods in place to make the process easier.
7. Pray, reflect, and meditate
The goal shouldn’t be to simply amass a considerable collection of Bible verses that you can recite at will. Hopefully, these passages are internalized, and you can mull them over and meditate on their significance. The ultimate objective should be to get Scripture deep inside you where it can take root and work its way through your life.
Making spiritual disciplines work for you
Just like there are many different exercises you can do to get your body in shape, memorization is one of many spiritual disciplines you can use to build yourself up on the inside. You may use a particular verse to build certain spiritual muscles. Other verses might remind you of important truths in the Word. Some of the verses you memorize may stick with you for the rest of your life. We hope you’re encouraged through the practice of Scripture Memorization. It can be a valuable tool to help you get closer to Jesus.
If you’d like to learn more about spiritual disciplines, check out “Choosing Spiritual Disciplines that Jumpstart Spiritual Growth.”
