5 Methods For Committing Scripture to Memory

Committing Scripture to memory is a vital aspect of walking out the faith. As you hide God’s Word in your heart, you have unlimited access to living it out daily. The benefits are invaluable!

However, if you’re like me, you sometimes forget what you’ve had for breakfast before noon the same day! How then can we prepare our minds to memorize God’s Word?  Here are a few tips that might be helpful:

1. Make it a Song

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

Songs are a fun way to learn verses. If you are not a lyricist or musically inclined, there are many resources that you can sing along with. Warning: if you memorize a Scripture verse like this, you might find yourself singing the verse to others in your conversations. :)

2. Copy the Verse 10 Times

For many years the New Testament manuscripts were copied down by scribes. Take out a piece of paper, your prayer journal, or even a new Word document, and start copying down the verse. This will allow you to focus on each word as you write it out. Repeat this ten times, then see if you can say the Scripture verse out loud without reading it.

3. Put it in Plain Sight

Close your eyes and map out your daily routine beginning with waking-up. What places can you place the verse where you will see it throughout the day? Consider placing the verse on the following:

• • Sticky note on the refrigerator
  • Bookmark in your Bible
  • The mirror with a dry-erase marker
  • Background of your computer

4. Say it Out loud

For this tip you will need a participant. Have your spouse, child, or even a family pet listen as you say the verse out loud to them. This can also become a great way for them to learn it with you (well… maybe not the family pet). You can even get creative and make it a game; each of you could take turns saying every other word of the verse, truly testing your knowledge.

5. Think About the Verse

This might seem very simple, but it is so important to meditate on the Scripture (Joshua 1:8). Read the verse, close your eyes, and repeat it in your mind. Think about what it means. Think about examples where you have seen this verse in action in your own life. Think about situations where you might find this particularly helpful (2 Timothy 3:16). Could someone you know be encouraged by this particular verse?

Simply knowing what the verse says and knowing what it means are two different things. It is so much more important to know the latter. When you know in your heart of hearts what the Scripture verse means, you can truly apply it to your life. That, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

Committing Scripture to memory is an applicable way to keep God’s commandments with you always. Proverbs 7:2-3 says, “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”