We live in a culture that doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on memorization. We’re so used to being able to read information in books, write down notes, or just look things up online that most of us go through our lives without ever needing to remember or memorize anything. Our schools nowadays rarely make students learn anything by rote memorization, so it might seem strange when the church has its children memorize Bible verses or learn the Catechism by heart. We don’t memorize anything else in our lives, so why should we memorize the Bible?
The Why
It’s important to remember that the Bible itself promises many blessings and gives a lot of encouragement to learn its words by heart. There’s something very different about having the Word of God stored up in your heart instead of “out there” in a book or read aloud in church. While there are a lot of places the Bible talks about this subject, here are a few to give you a taste of what Scripture teaches:
Deuteronomy 11:18 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
Proverbs 4:20-21 “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.”
Proverbs 6:20-23 “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Notice how the Bible talks about the importance of keeping God’s Word in your heart. This is the reason we often like to say “learn by heart” instead of “memorize.” Memorizing implies that you just can rattle off information without thinking; learning by heart implies that God’s Word becomes a part of you. While we can’t all memorize the whole Bible, learning important Bible verses, passages, and stories by heart is an important part of growing as a mature Christian.
The How
Of course, it’s not easy to get started with learning Scripture by heart. A lot of the time people are very intimidated by the idea of memorization. This is because we often treat our memories like a computer—we think that we “fill up” with information and eventually can’t remember anything more. But the truth is, neuroscientists have discovered that the human brain’s memory could hold as much information as the entire internet. Memory isn’t like a glass of water that’s in danger of getting too full; it’s a lot more like a muscle that gets stronger or weaker depending on how much you exercise it.
So don’t be intimidated! Just like exercising or lifting weights, start small and easy, with just a well-known verse or two, and then move on to larger and larger chunks of Scripture. Who knows? Maybe someday you could remember an entire book of the Bible! You can find videos of people on YouTube who have done just that!
Everyone learns differently, and everyone learns by heart differently, so it’s important to find a method that works best for you. However, here are some general pieces of advice to help you get started with learning Scripture by heart:
Read the passage you want to learn out loud. This way you get three kinds of
reinforcement: seeing, hearing, and speaking. It’s like getting three kinds of input for the price of one!
If you’re trying to memorize a larger passage of Scripture, first read the whole thing
out loud so that you can get a sense of its flow and how it’s organized. Even if you’re not going to memorize an entire book of the Bible, it can be a great experience to just take a bit of time to read through a whole book in one sitting!
This might drive everyone around you crazy, but pacing around when you’re trying to learn a passage by heart is a really effective way to get your blood flowing and boost
your memory!
The best place to start with learning the Bible by heart is to pick a well-known story (such as the Creation or the Three Wise Men), read through it aloud from the Bible, then retell the story in your own words aloud. Then read it aloud from the Bible again, retell it again, and do it over and over. Eventually, you will find that you are retelling the story using the same words as the Bible naturally, without having to force yourself to remember each word.
A lot of people find the idea of a memory palace to be very helpful. Basically a memory palace is a way of associating things you’re remembering with places you’re already familiar with. Just look up “how to build a memory palace” online, and you’ll find lots of helpful instructions on how to do it.
These are just a few tips to help you get started. There’s plenty of other advice online that could be helpful depending on your learning style. The most important thing to remember is: learning God’s Word by heart is a great blessing in many ways! So let’s start learning the Bible by heart! What’s there to lose?
In Christ,
Vicar Wessel
Leave a Reply