All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.    ~2 Timothy 3:16-17

The passage from 2 Timothy above tells us why we need to know God’s Word, but when it comes to actually doing it—to memorizing scripture—the majority of people I talk to say they can’t. The mere thought of it sends them into orbit.

When I hear people offer up their excuses for not being able to memorize scripture, I have to be honest and say I just don’t buy it. After all…

• How many songs do they know by heart?
• How many movie lines can they quote?
• How many stories can they tell from memory?
• How many jokes, sport stats, recipes, rules for games, and job details do you know by heart?

Yeah, I thought so.

How to memorize scripture

I realize different people have different learning styles. That means not everyone learns the same way. Some learn by listening and others by reading or seeing some other sort of visual aid. So as you read the following list of suggestions, select the one(s) that best suit your learning style in order to gain the optimal results for your efforts.

• Put them to music. Steve Green’s “Hide ‘Em In Your Heart” CDs are amazing and a great resource for anyone.
• “Scripture Songs” is another musical option for learning scripture worth adding to your music library.
• Writing it down over and over and over again. Many people find it helpful to select a few verses and write them out in a notebook each and every day until they can write them without looking at the Bible.
• Reading a verse over and over again—memorizing it line by line works for many.
• Say it every day. This is a case for ‘use it or lose it’. We have to keep God’s Word fresh in our minds and on the tips of our tongues.
• Surround yourself with it. Note cards, written on your mirror, wall hangings, etc., are a great way to keep God’s Word in front of you and commit it to memory.
• Work with a partner. When you have a partner helping you and holding you accountable, you are more apt to work hard to memorize scripture—no matter how you do it.

God’s Word truly is a lamp and a light for our life. And as Moses said after reading The Law to the Israelites one last time before he died, “…these are not just idle words. They are your life…” (Deuteronomy 32:47).

~ By Darla Noble