I have been an observer, studier, ruminator and meditator of Scripture. I have seldom been a memorizer. It’s not out of any philosophical approach to learning Scripture that I’ve not made Bible memorization a staple of Bible disciplines. It’s more out of reasons that I think are common to most, namely, impatience. And these days, any verses I do have memorized are an amalgamation of several versions. This isn’t bad but it does tend to muddy the memorization waters a bit.
Obviously the purpose of Scripture is not to memorize it. The purpose of God’s Word is to transform us. In fact, I have long advocated that by observing, ruminating and meditating on Scripture that we will soon find ourselves not only knowing and understanding God’s redemptive story (and what events go with what books) but we will find ourselves quoting the Scripture we have picked up in our exploration.
But, since Scripture presents us with bite-sized nuggets, and since we have the ability to commit these nuggets to memory, why not?!
In fact, here are three reasons that answer that question.
1. Thought Filter
In Philippians 4 we are exhorted to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). The exercise of memorizing Scripture, no matter what approach we use, forces us to keep our minds on these virtues. Idleness, whether hands or mind, seldom has positive outcome. Ongoing Scripture memorization gives us an outlet for positive engagement when we find our minds wondering or bored or needing a break.
2. Temple Bolster
Just as many of God’s commands bring health benefits (e.g., the physiological benefits of forgiveness) so does memorization bring physical benefits to our bodies. Research shows that the act of memorization brings a variety of positive effects on the brain (Google “benefits of memorization” for about a half-million articles). Consequently, Bible memorization gives us a benefit twofer: our physical brains and our spiritual hearts.
3. Faith Builder
The apostle Peter alluded to the value of “refreshing our memory” of spiritual things (2 Peter 1:13). He also wrote about the need to “recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior” in order to “stimulate us to wholesome thinking” (2 Peter 3:1-2). While we don’t see a specific command in Scripture to memorize Scripture, these verses are pretty close. And I’ll take any help to stimulate “wholesome thinking” I can get.
I don’t know about you, but these three reasons are good enough for me. I’m changing my ways. I’m committing to adding “memorizer” to my list of Bible engagement titles. And I’m starting now. I’m dedicating Summer 2015 to be the summer that I surge in Bible memorization. I’m going to “fill the bubble” (see post image above) with things that are “excellent or praiseworthy.” I’m going to stimulate “wholesome thinking” by recalling the past words of the holy prophets and teachings of Jesus. I’m going to improve my neural plasticity (something you learn about in those half-million Google articles) by choosing verses longer than John 11:35 (“Jesus wept.”).
I will leave it to other experts to introduce you to any number of memorization techniques. At InWord we have experimented with a video-esque recitation tool that we think is helpful. You can use these on your phone while you wait in a line or need a mental break. Or you can project them for a large group exercise. You can check it out on our “Try This” page. We’ll be posting a new passage each week.
Will you join me? Let’s dedicate the summer of 2015 to “Fill the Bubble”!