“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16).
With fewer and fewer Christians reading the Bible regularly, it’s no surprise that committing it to memory seems an unattainable goal for many. Nevertheless, memorising the written Word remains as valuable for spiritual growth as ever.
In fact, memorising Bible verses is like buying Microsoft shares in the 1980s, says Pastor Andrew Davis, who knows over 40 books of the Bible by heart… or at least he used to, because, as Davis admits, only a few people can retain such a vast amount of information, and he is not one of them. After devoting 100 days to a book, reading and rereading it ad nauseam and memorising a few verses each day, he moves on to the next, knowing that his memory will not be able to recall them with the same accuracy over time. However, he is always satisfied when, whilst preparing a sermon or on other occasions when they are needed, he realises that passages that have not been repeated for a long time have resurfaced in his memory.
Most Christians believe they could never achieve such a feat, but the pastor says that his strength lies not in his memory, but in his perseverance. If you start and don’t give up, you may be surprised by the results. But, to embark on this ever-changing journey, where no two days are alike, you need to realise just how beneficial it can be for you and others.
Why should we memorise the Bible?
Pastor Davis notes that scripture contains commandments that would be difficult, if not impossible, to apply without memorisation: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16) and “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7–8).
Davis explains that meditating on the Word is one of the ways in which God transforms our lives. Memorising a passage leads to a deeper understanding of it, perhaps not immediately whilst we are concentrating on committing it to memory, but certainly later on when God can speak to us through the Word, even when we are not in His presence.
Memorising Scripture enhances most aspects of our service to God (it empowers us in the face of temptation, enables us to support others going through difficult times, and helps us to get to know God better).
When we store the Word “that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4) in our minds, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we have protected our minds with teachings that become part of our thoughts and can never be taken from us, emphasises Pastor Chester Church.
In an article written decades ago, Pastor Webb Garrison argued that reciting Bible passages before falling asleep “makes sleeping pills superfluous.” Admittedly, insomnia had not yet reached the scale it has today at the time the article was written. Many people who have tried this technique have said that they find it easier to drift off to sleep if they reflect on biblical promises rather than dwelling on the day’s problems.
Garrison’s conclusion actually stems from an unpleasant experience he had in his youth when he returned from holiday. Realising that the electricity supply had been cut off, he intended to call the supplier but, by the dim light of a candle, he noticed that the interior of the house looked devastated. The curtains had been torn to shreds, the furniture had been destroyed, and even the clothes that appeared untouched had been slashed with scissors. Even the mattresses had been cut up. The police concluded that it was an act of vandalism committed by teenagers. However, the final blow came from the insurance agent who informed Garrison that the policy did not cover theft or vandalism.
Curled up in bed amongst sheets as wrecked as his state of mind, Garrison began to recite the biblical chapters he had memorised aloud. Although he had to go through his entire repertoire two or three times, he was eventually freed from all the day’s tension and slept peacefully for the rest of the night.
Garrison writes that our values, goals, and philosophy of life change imperceptibly but surely as a result of memorising Scripture. However important the study of the Bible remains, only “memorised material becomes part of a person in somewhat the same way that digested food does.”
Why memorise books of the Bible, not just verses
It is only when you find yourself deprived of the written Word that you realise how important it is to remember as much of it as possible. Arrested by the Chinese authorities in 2017, Christian entrepreneur Josh Summers suddenly realised how little of the Scriptures he had memorised. Despite spending only eight hours in the cell in which he was held, Summers decided to take the matter of memorising the Bible more seriously. He even set himself the goal of learning the entire New Testament by heart.
While we are taught from childhood to memorise individual verses rather than whole chapters of the Bible, Summers believes there are good reasons to try to memorise entire books. Firstly, all Scripture is inspired and useful (2 Timothy 3:16), so memorising long passages or entire books demonstrates our belief in this. Secondly, Summers says, context is very important for understanding a verse or a passage. He illustrates this by showing how certain books of the Bible, such as the Epistle to the Romans, can be better understood when we grasp the basic arguments on which they are built and the connections between the text’s ideas and its final conclusions.
Finally, he argues that memorising an entire book is more effective and even easier than memorising the same number of verses scattered across several books of the Bible.
Professor Andy Naselli points out that the thematic and lexical links between the various books of the Bible become much clearer when you try to memorise large sections of Scripture, and that each book becomes more precious once you have invested hundreds of hours in it. He offers some recommendations for the effective memorisation of biblical passages.
Steps towards memorising the Bible
Consistency is very important when we begin the process of memorisation, writes Naselli. It is best to set aside a specific time each day for this purpose. Once you have selected the passage to memorise for the day, it is advisable to go for a walk to aid the learning process.
Naselli explains that he only memorises new texts while walking or on a treadmill, learning them well enough to be able to write them out later without making any mistakes. Once the passage has been memorised, he repeats it aloud ten times (not counting repetitions containing mistakes), recording himself to keep track of the correct repetitions.
When memorising an entire book, Naselli recommends recording yourself reading it and listening to the recordings before, during, and after the process. Reciting memorised passages in front of others is beneficial for both the reciter, who is motivated to learn as well as possible, and the listeners, who may be encouraged and inspired to follow their example.
If you memorise just one verse a week, you could have a whole book of the Bible firmly committed to memory by the end of the year.
Tom Meyer, who has memorised more than 20 books of the Bible, says he spends an hour a day on the process, most of which is devoted to revising and consolidating the texts he has already learnt. His method involves dividing this hour into three parts: one where he recites the memorised texts aloud (verbal processing, a crucial stage); one where he listens to the Bible (auditory processing, using either an audio Bible or his own recordings); and one where he writes out the memorised passages (tactile learning).
Each memorisation session should begin with prayer. Another tip for beginners is to choose short, accessible passages or a small book, such as Jonah (four chapters) or Titus (three chapters). Meyer points out that if we memorise even just one verse a week, we could have a book of the Bible firmly committed to memory by the end of the year.
Revising material already memorised is an essential part of the learning process, explains Christian author Susan Heck. When moving on to the next verse in a chapter, it is advisable to review the previously learnt verses, continuing this process throughout the entire chapter (or the whole book). Once the book or section has been memorised, it should be repeated daily for 30 days, after which an occasional revision programme will be required. Heck advocates learning long passages or even entire books of the Bible based not only on her own experience, but also on feedback from others who have compared memorising individual verses with memorising sections or long passages.
The only enemy of memorisation is giving up
Susan Heck has already memorised the New Testament and isn’t stopping there, even though she is over 60. She has practised this discipline for over 30 years and is convinced that anyone can do it at their own pace, even when memory begins to deteriorate with age. In fact, it is already known that challenging tasks and focusing on learning new things protect us from cognitive decline, so it is especially important to do so at this stage in life.
The only enemy of memorisation is giving up, says Pastor Andrew Davis, who has begun memorising his forty-fourth book of the Bible. He describes the whole process as a never-ending journey. On this journey, he says, you begin to love Scripture, but above all its Author. Therefore, our actions should not be driven by goals, small victories, or the admiration our performance elicits, but rather by the simple act of having an encounter with Jesus today, for example, in chapter 9 of the Gospel of Mark.
Carmen Lăiu is an editor at Signs of the Times Romania and ST Network.