Who, Me? Memorize Scripture?

Sally Ferguson is wise and practical, and is so good at zooming in on biblical solutions for everyday problems. In this Scripture Memorization UPGRADE, she provides the motivation and the know-how to help us hide God's Word in our hearts.“Memorize schmemorize. Hmpf!" Sally said. "'Don’t ask me to put Scripture to memory—I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast,' said every person, ever."

Oh, I (Dawn) do think it's much harder to memorize when we're older. Then again, I've found that I'm able to focus better now that the distractions of youth are far behind—but I know not everyone finds that true. We need some tools to help us, and Sally has some good tips!

Sally continues . . .

The reasons we don’t attempt to memorize Scripture can be as varied as the types of breakfast foods on a buffet.

• “I don’t know how.”
• “My brain doesn’t function like that.”
• “I have to keep track of too many things.”

Are our brains running at full capacity? Have we tapped out what we can emotionally tackle as a human thinking machine?

Technology, change, and busy schedules all take a toll on our emotional quotient. But rest and recuperate and those mental capacities reboot for a new round.

Maybe then, there’s room for adding a few more words to our repertoire.

Three Tips for Memorizing Scripture:

1. Add Music.

Does a song on the radio remind you of where you were when first you heard it?

Music provides access to another part of the brain and opens mental doors. Sing a little ditty and make it fun.

2. Add exercise.

Carry the verse on a 3x5 card and glance at it while going through your workout.

Even while swimming laps in college, I was able to write the words on a chalkboard and glance at every turn.

Moving your body warms up your concentration and jogs your memory.

3. Subtract words.

Use a whiteout board or computer screen to erase a word as you say the verse. Continue to recite and erase. Challenge yourself to a do over.

When you are verbal with the verse, your ears get involved.

Whether you are a visual learner or auditory processor, you can learn tricks to bring Scripture to life.

Visualize the scene.
     Hear the consonants.
          Repeat.

Repetition equips the brain to be familiar with a concept and to process its implications.

Three Reasons for Memorizing Scripture

1. Jesus did.

When Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness, He said we are to live on “every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 ESV).

2. Moses did.

He told the Israelites to have the commands on their hearts, impress them on their kids, and talk about them when sitting, walking, lying down, and getting up (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

A life dedicated to God’s Word will be saturated in God’s Word.

3. Paul did.

Paul told Timothy to be a wordsmith in order to correctly handle God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15). What does a wordsmith do? Weigh words, test them, and become proficient in their use.

Knowing God’s Word equips us to handle it proficiently.

When you store away God’s Word, your brain cells have something to retrieve when the Holy Spirit brings it to mind.

I assigned a memory verse to my class this week and felt the same panic I viewed in their faces.

Could I beat the recent brain fog and commit Scripture to memory?

I prayed and asked the Lord for help, and the tune to Charles W. Naylor’s hymn, “Once Again We Come” began to play in my mind. Try it and see how perfect it is for our verse:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy

        and peace as you trust in him,

    so that you may overflow with hope

        by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

 Romans 15:13 in the NIV says . . . (repeat).

The song helps the brain to remember phrases and words.

Another way to learn God’s Word is by tweeting it.

Use the current word limit of a tweet to condense the concept conveyed. It will help you grasp the message and carry it through your day. It may also equip someone else to recall what they need for encouragement at just the right moment.

If all else fails, you can do what I did today.

Write out the verse longhand and give your memory a chance to latch on.

More than typing it out, “the physical act of writing brings the information to the forefront and triggers your brain to pay close attention.” 

Yes, you can memorize Scripture with a little help from handy tools. Use the time while doing dishes or on your morning commute to commit treasures from God’s Word to memory.

You’ll gain a new confidence in your abilities and in the Lord’s power to renew your mind!

What passage will you commit to memory this week?

Sally Ferguson is a teacher of God’s Word and a student of people. Whether leading retreats or small groups, she loves to see the light shine when hope abounds. Sally lives in western New York with her husband and her dad. Her current project is a Bible study for caregivers. Catch up with her at sallyferguson.net.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Beloso & Herchen GbR at Pixabay.

Pack a Travel Bag for 'Rough Road'

Dianne Barker's practical approach always makes me smile. In this Lifestyle UPGRADE, she encourages the wise choice to prepare now for any bumpy roads ahead.

"'Slow… rough road ahead.' A huge orange sign alerted me to upcoming danger," Diane says.

I (Dawn) never expected the rough road of terminal disease to rearrange all the elements of my life, but on that road, I also discovered God had already built into my life all I would need to face the struggle. Dianne's insight here is rock solid!

Dianne continues . . .

I saw the warning just in time to change direction and avoid the jagged route.

Life doesn’t afford us the courtesy of a caution sign.

Unexpectedly, we find ourselves on a precarious journey with no alternative course. If we’d just had advance warning!

• That dreaded diagnosis putting everything on hold.
• That surprise announcement the company is downsizing and we’re being let go.
• That family situation that disrupts all relationships.

Rough Road. And sometimes a long road.

A wise driver keeps crucial supplies in the car—flashlight with extra batteries, a blanket or quilt, and water.

Have you packed a travel bag for life emergencies?

My emergency travel bag is filled with God’s Word, and I began packing it as a young mom with many needs.

Memorizing Scripture related to my needs not only changed my thinking and my habits but also gave me a dependable supply of truth to navigate rough road.

Encountering a wall of worry, I relied on 2 Chronicles 16:9 to get me through it.

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him…”

Skidding across a patch of discouragement, I held firmly to Joshua 1:9.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

At a mammoth pothole of impossibility, I grasped Matthew 19:26 for stability.

“But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Hovering at a ravine of hopelessness, I caught hold of Jeremiah 32:17 to steer me away from the cliff.

“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”

I’ve been all those places. Had it not been for truth packed in my travel bag, who knows where I would have landed?

If you’re traveling a smooth road today, use this time to pack your travel bag with truth to carry you through the bumpy places ahead.

This will get you started.

1. God is faithful. “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34).
2. He will be with me. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
3. Whatever he allows to touch my life will be for my good. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Continuing the journey, I don’t know what peril lies before me. But I know this:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’ (Lamentations 3:22-24).

What truths have you packed in your travel bag to give stability, courage, and hope when you encounter rough road?

Dianne Barker is a speaker, radio host, and author of 11 books, including the best-selling Twice Pardoned and award-winning I Don’t Chase the Garbage Truck Down the Street in My Bathrobe Anymore! Organizing for the Maximum Life. She’s a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, and Word Weavers International. Visit www.diannebarker.com.

Graphic Adapted, from Road Traffic Signs.

Two All Beef Patties

"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."

"I wrote that from memory and I imagine many of you could do the same," Gail Purath said. "Pretty amazing considering that McDonalds only ran that Big Mac jingle for one year (1975-76). And even more amazing because I didn't try to learn it."

I don't know about Gail, but I memorized things a lot easier back then.

She continues ...

Our memories are incredible. We memorize things throughout our lives without even trying—sights, smells, sounds, names, recipes, addresses, phone numbers, songs...

Sadly, studies show that:

“Put to the test, Americans recalled the seven ingredients of a McDonald's Big Mac hamburger and members of TV's 'The Brady Bunch' more easily than the Bible's Ten Commandments.”

I’ve memorized Scripture ever since becoming a Christian, although not as faithfully as I should. And I fear that my head is still filled with far more useless information than with God's life-changing words. 

So, if you're like me and need an occasional boost to get back into the discipline of memory work, let me give you a few "painless" ideas:

1. Reading Memorization: write out and repeat a verse daily. Eventually you'll memorize it.

2. Mutual Memorization: Memorize a passage a week with a buddy.  It always helps to have accountability and someone to "show off" what you learn.

3. Musical Memorization: Music helps us remember. That's how we learned the alphabet as kids and why advertisers use catchy jingles. Think how many words to songs you've memorized without trying. So why not put Scripture passages to familiar tunes, or make up your own Scripture “jingles.”

4. Retro Memorization: Find some old 1970's praise albums (or 8 track tapes? just kidding) when many of the songs were straight from the words of Scripture.  I became a Christian in the 70's and these choruses are the source of many of the verses hidden in my heart.

5. Artistic Memorization: Draw pictures and symbols, even if they are just stick figures and doodles, whatever will help you visualize the passage.

6. Academic Memorization: Tear the verse apart, identify the parts of speech; create an outline or bullet points to help you remember passages.  You English teacher-types will especially like this.

7. Figure 8 Memorization: This method based on Psalm 119:97 involves reading a passage eight times a day for eight days.

"Hiding God’s Word in our hearts" (Psalm 119:11) has far reaching benefits, and is well worth the effort, especially when we can employ one of these painless methods. 

Why not leave a comment with your favorite method of memorization so others can benefit. And please share any special stories about ways memorization has blessed you or others.

Gail Purath has been married to her best friend for 42 years, living the life of a nomad here on earth (40 homes in 62 years), looking forward to her heavenly home. Mother of two, grammy of seven, Gail writes about her joys, struggles, failures and victories in her short-but-powerful 1-Minute Bible Love Notes and shares a short Bible study each week on Bite Size Bible Study.