So I used to be a part of a program called Bible Bowl in middle school and high school. The whole point was to memorize a section of scripture and then you would be quizzed about certain aspects of it. Everything from words that were only used once or twice in the text to lists of men and women, to just quoting scriptures.
I was never one of the super dedicated kids who memorized the text from front to back, but I did memorize a lot of it and some of the random things still stick with me, like dew is used twice in the book of Genesis. But it did serve me well when I got to Bible college and had to memorize large sections of scripture for tests.
Nowadays, memorizing is difficult. Honestly, it’s because I don’t sit down for hours and memorize scripture like I used to. However, I still work to memorize different scriptures that are useful to living life, not just to be able to say I can.
Because at the end of the day, memorizing scripture doesn’t make you a better Christian or closer to Jesus. What it does do is help the Holy Spirit have more resources to help you get through difficult times. So even if you can’t quote the chapter and verse back, and even if you miss an “and” or “the” when reciting it. The main point is to Hide God’s word in your heart.
Because when you do that, it’s much easier to win a fight with the devil like Jesus showed us.
So here are different methods that I used to use or currently am using to help add more of God’s words into my heart:
1. Songs
My number one method of memorizing scripture as an adult is music. Even in my Bible bowl days, we would make up songs to help us remember long lists, but these days, I’m learning songs that are just scripture. Some of my favorites are:
2. Fill in the blank
This is a pretty straightforward process. Write out a scripture, then each time you rewrite it remove a word. You can also try writing it out with blanks, or just the first letter of the word and a blank and go till you only need the first letter of each word and then nothing. You can give it a try with this free download for the weird souls main scripture, Romans 12:1-3.
3. Repetition and Recitation:
In college, if we had to memorize a section of scripture for a test, this was how I would do it. I would start at the beginning and say the first half of a sentence until I could say it without looking, then I would do the second half with it, then keep going piece by piece until it was all memorized. I would usually paice in circles while memorizing for the full sensory support, and within a couple hours, I would have around 20 verses memorized. Now, I didn’t keep going back to them after the test, so I have some common parts still retained, but not the chunks. And just writing about this makes me want to set a memorization goal for myself.
4. Write It Out:
Physically writing the verses down helps with kinesthetic learning. Write them multiple times, even daily, to engrain them into your memory. Try some coloring coding and writing it the same every day as you review it to help keep it visually in your mind if that’s how your brain works.
5. Hand Motions
Walk Through the Bible is a program that I went through in my teen years, and while it didn’t help specifically with Scripture, they used a bunch of memory aids to help you learn the big story of the Bible. I was able to walk through the Old Testament for years using the methods. And one of their primary memory aids was hand and body motions. It’s why I put hand motions to everything when I taught kids, it helps all of us remember. So making up any motions to a scripture will help us remember the words more easily. If you’re not sure where to start, check out these videos for some ideas.
6. First Letter
There are a couple of companies that use this method as a subscription service. I’ve thought about joining but the monthly fee just hasn’t fit into the budget. However if you think the money and consistency of them showing up in your mail might help you memorize scripture, I say go for it. You can also use a rubber band and a Sharpie for the same effect if you’re tight on budget right now.
Basically, you just write the first letter of each word in a row to help guide you through the scripture. It’s similar to fill in the blank, but more of a condensed method.
7. Visual Aids:
This can be anything from highlighting and underlining words and phrases in a chunk of text you’re working on to a coloring page of a scripture that you reciet as you color. Put a postit on your mirror, or having a poster hang in your house. Whatever keeps the scripture front and center.
Bonus Idea: combination
This isn’t really another idea, but it’s how to make a verse more sticky, which is combine multiple methods together. So like our hand motion videos showed us, put music and motions together. If you’re not a music person, put motions with fill-in-the-blank. Write them out yourself or make your own coloring page or make up your own song. The more memory techniques you use the more it will stick in your brain.
Retention:
The trick to any memorization is retention. Usually, you can memorize something easily with enough time and focus, but to keep it retained for even a week in the future, you have to have retention methods. So here are some ideas
1. Playlist:
If you use music to help you memorize, have a playlist that you go through easy day to review you songs. If you can get through all of them without the music, you’re ready to add one.
2. First letter:
Just in my time writing this post, I decided I’m going to start tracking what scriptures I know and then add to the list the ones I want to have memorized. So one of my tracking methods is going to be writing down the Address to the scripture with the first letter of each word written under it. Then every day or so, I can read through the verses I should have memorized to remind myself and know which ones I need to work on.
3. Journal and pray:
Another way to keep them at the forefront is to journal them daily and even pray for them. You can do things like the every-hour prayer and pick a verse you’ve memorized to pray, or each day pick one to journal about and how it’s helping you with your everyday life.
Where to start
So what verses should you start with? The ones that make an impact on your life, or the ones that you have heard a lot, or the ones you need to be reminded of when times get hard. There isn’t a right verse to start with, it’s the ones that you want to carry with you all the time.
The point
At the end of it all, as you memorize more scripture you will find it just naturally starts flowing in your everyday thoughts and speech. You won’t need an address because it will eventually just be the truth of God coming out of your speech. And remember, being a “good” Christian isn’t about how much scripture you can quote, but rather how much you let the scripture change your heart.
Stay Weird,
