How to start memorizing the Bible

Many Christians know that memorizing the Bible is helpful and important, but few of us do it.

In this episode, Nathan talks about a few benefits of memorizing God’s Word and gives some encouragement on how to get started.

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The Bible puts a lot of emphasis on the “mind”:

• ‌Ephesians 4:17 – no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind …
• ‌Philippians 2:5 – have the mind of Christ
• ‌Philippians 4:8 – think on these things
• ‌Romans 12:2 – be transformed in the renewing of your minds

Simply, we are to fill up our minds (and lives) with God’s truth.

From the Head to the Heart

It is not only important to fill up our minds with truth, but it should sink down into our hearts. Psalm 119:9, 11 tells us, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. … Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

1. You CAN Memorize Scripture

While most of us don’t think we can memorize the Bible, God made our minds to memorize … and most of us have dozens of movie quotes, song lyrics, and sports stats stored away.

And a key to Bible memory is to realize that the Author of Scripture lives inside your life through the indwelling of His Spirit. Though you could memorize Scripture in your ability and wisdom, what if you didn’t have to? God wants you to know His Word, and He will enable you to memorize and recall it (which is an excellent reason to always start in prayer).

2. Memory is a Muscle

If you haven’t memorized much lately, you will find that starting slow will help. Our memory is like a muscle that needs to be exercised and strengthened for optimal performance. Don’t start with an entire paragraph; begin with a verse or two and then continue adding more.

3. Try longer passages

Memorizing a single verse is relatively easy, but memorizing longer passages is far more challenging. The key is consistency in your memorization, and having a plan can make things a lot easier:

• Give the priority of your memorization time to reviewing old verses. Begin each day’s memorization by reviewing the verses you have learned.
• Consider memorizing the verse numbers with the passage. This could seem tedious and like a waste of time, but it can help you not forget a verse in a long passage and can help you know exactly where a specific verse is found when you quote it to someone. 
• Consider memorizing in chunks/paragraphs/sections based on the natural divisions within the passage (i.e., Ephesians 1 could be divided into the following verse sections: 1–2, 3–14, 15–23).

Suggested Daily Procedure:

• Recite the previous day’s verse ten times out loud; look at your Bible if you need to.
• Recite all the verses in the passage/book you’ve memorized.
• Read and say today’s (new) verse ten times out loud—it is beneficial to see and hear it simultaneously.
• Quote the new verse ten times out loud without looking.
• Recite the entire memorized passage, including the verse you learned today.

Another Method and Suggestion:

• If the above is too intimidating, consider taking one day a week in your devotional time to memorize God’s Word. Take a section of Scripture (more than one verse) and read the entire passage aloud several times. Try to quote the passage without looking. Go back and forth until you have the whole passage memorized.
• It is important to review this passage throughout the week (not just in the weekly memorization time)—driving, mowing the lawn, etc., are great opportunities to review the memorized passage.

Repetition is good … over time

Saying a verse fifty times in one day is good … but not as effective as saying that same verse every day for fifty days. This is a long-term process, so don’t pack everything into one day. If you follow the suggested daily procedure above, you will eventually spend most of your memorization time quoting previous verses—which is precisely what you want!

Use “downtime” (and those random five-minute gaps) to recite verses you’ve memorized throughout your day. Some experts suggest saying a verse every day for 100 days, but whether you recite a verse/passage once a week or every day, it is essential to review and recite it often to keep it in your memory.

A few more fun (and helpful) ideas

• Write today’s verse(s) on an index card so you can keep it with you to look at throughout the day. Reviewing verses/passages while you drive, wait in line, shower, or brush your teeth is a great way to take advantage of time.
• If you have a problem keeping the words in their correct order, write down the first letter of each word on a card. For example, Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) would be as follows: F, B, WTAT, WTAN, WTAJ, WTAP, WTAL, WTAOGR, ITIAVAITIAP MOTT.
• If you want help with an app, the best one I’ve found for long-term memorization is “Bible Memory” (biblememory.com – use code DEEPER to get a discount off the Pro version, which also helps support the ministry of Deeper Christian and NRJohnson). “Verses” is also a good app for iOS devices that helps you play “games” in learning a verse.
• I love to listen to the Bible in my car. Getting an audio Bible with the same translation you use to memorize can help you hear the passage/book differently … and it’s a fun challenge to try to quote the verses alongside the audio—it forces you to speak faster than you usually would when reciting the verses.

JC Ryle – “Let us strive, every year we live, to become more deeply acquainted with Scripture.”

Bonus Resources and Tools to Help You Memorize Scripture

• The Value of Scripture Memorization (by NA Woychuk)
• An Overview to Memorizing Scripture
• 8 Simple Ideas to Help you Memorize Scripture
• How to Start Memorizing Scripture Topically
• 60 Reminders For Why You Should Memorize Scripture
• 6 Quick Tips to Help You Memorize Scripture
• 10 Reasons Why You Should Memorize Scripture
• Best app I’ve found to memorize Scripture: Bible Memory (use code DEEPER for 20% off the pro version … and it helps support the ministry of Deeper Christian)

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Question: What tools, techniques, and tips have you found helpful to memorize the Bible?