The Nuts and Bolts of Scripture Memory

We live in a hype, type, and swipe culture where information leaves just as quickly as it came. Memorization is essentially non-existent in the minds of today, scripture, grocery list, phone number, or otherwise. However, it probably wouldn’t take me more than a few minutes to convince you that scripture memory is necessary, because chances are you have already experienced plenty of moments when you wish you could’ve remembered a particular verse or reference when conversing with someone. The importance of having God’s Word tucked away in your heart is probably something you are already aware of. Our time spent focused on remembering scripture should be equal to that of our prayer and Bible reading; after all, what good is it if we don’t remember what we learn? If this isn’t happening regularly in your life, don’t sweat it, we’ve all been there, we just don’t want to stay there! That being said, my goal is to give you the “what and how or the nuts and bolts” of memorizing and retaining the Living Word.

The first step, choosing what to memorize is typically one of the biggest hurdles, but there are a couple places you can start to help get the decision process out of the way.

1. Start with something that is already familiar to you, or even a favorite passage. If you constantly find yourself turning to the same Psalm repeatedly, why don’t you just memorize it? If this is your first time trying a larger portion, try something like the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7 because much of it will likely already be ultra familiar to you, the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Golden Rule are all part of those chapters.
2. Have a favorite epistle or minor prophet? Most of those books are less than six chapters and are easily memorable over time.
3. Is your Church or Bible study teaching through a book or topic? Try a passage or chapter from that study? It’s always fun to hear verses you’ve memorized be referenced in Church, plus it will help the head knowledge of what is being preached become heart knowledge.
4. Is there something you’re really having a hard time dealing with? Pick ten or twelve verses that could help you to guide you through that topic. They don’t have to come from the same chapter or book, but they are all topically correlated. For instance, on the topic of patience you might memorize Psalm 37:7-9, Ephesians 4:2, 1 Corinthians 13:4, etc.
5. Have you considered memorizing by structural or literary theme? Try memorizing all of the prayers in the Old Testament or all of the sermons in the New Testament?
6. What do you do professionally? Is there a passage or even a story in the Old Testament that might be encouraging to you in that area?
7. If you have children, maybe try picking a chapter that they could do with you so that both of you can benefit from it.
8. Bonus tip! Keep a post-it on the inside cover of your Bible and write down passages that you desire to memorize to simplify the decision process for next time. As you start to become aware of what to memorize more and more ideas will pile up.

Now that you’ve got your passage picked out, it’s time to get to work on it! I’m going to offer a plethora of tips, this does not mean all of them are necessary. In fact, it could be that none of these will work for you, but something else does… if that something else works, stick to it! These ideas are just suggestions, they are a blend of my own experience, formal training, and long-standing generic memory tips. Don’t get overwhelmed! The key is to figure out exactly what combination works for you. These are written with the idea of chapters or whole books in mind but can totally be narrowed down to a paragraph or a single verse.

1. Accountability! This is the ultimate game changer! Honestly, if you haven’t tried memorizing with a friend or group, you are missing out! You don’t even have to be working on the same passage if that is your preference, but having that daily, weekly, or monthly check-in makes a world of difference! If person to person accountability is not an option try making a bet with yourself. For instance, “if I don’t have Psalm 1 memorized in thirty days I will donate $20 to the Church building fund.” Are you super competitive? Try to beat your own personal record. If you memorized twelve verses in twelve days last time, then try twelve verses in ten days this time.
2. Memorize in your “native version”. If your preference is the NIV, then memorizing the ESV is just going to complicate it for you. Do what is easiest for your brain!
3.  Figure out how your brain prefers to intake knowledge and memorize to that strength. If you are a visual learner it’s pretty straightforward, look at it, a lot. Auditory learners have an advantage in the digital age because audio Bibles are readily available. Kinesthetic learners are going to have to be a little more creative. Try hand motions, walking and memorizing, chewing gum, writing it, or even drawing it. Scripture is full of beautiful imagery that depicts more than just doctrinal concepts, use them to your advantage.
4. Read the section every day for a month before you even start to actively retain it. Bonus points if you read it aloud! Look for imagery, big picture ideas, themes, adverbs, and literary structure as you read, these will be a real benefit as you start to work verse by verse.
5. Work off the exact same visual copy no matter what. Print out several copies of your chapter and put them everywhere. Try a Ziploc bag stuck to the shower wall, a clip on the bathroom mirror, the window sill above the kitchen sink, your lock screen, your dashboard, desk, fridge, dryer, etc. Try to avoid reading it out of different Bibles or versions so that your mind can keep it as clear as possible.
6. Listen to it often. As you get farther, try reciting it with the recording to check your accuracy. Record your voice saying the chapter and play it back, there is something different about listening to your voice rather than the voice of someone else reading it.
7. Write it out. This one doesn’t work for me because it messes with the visual copy I have in my head but it might work for you. Try writing it in cursive then in script, it will engage different parts of the brain. Or if there is a tough verse try writing it out and eliminating one word at a time until you can say it all the way through.
8. Say it. When you get your mouth involved it becomes not just mental memory but muscle memory. Try saying it as you write so that all of your senses are working together.
9. Sing it. If you are working on a verse or two try making it into a little song. Try setting the passage to a familiar tune. Or bands like The Corner Room or Ross King make songs that sing directly through a chapter, making it really easy to remember large sections.  
10. Try to identify patterns. Have a long list of names or adjectives? Look for acronyms! Like in 2 Peter 2:7 it speaks of the “Sensual Conduct of Unprincipled Men”, S.C.U.M. Look for theological patterns or references that come in a particular order. Look for chiastic structure, repeated phrases/themes, or poetic structure depending on the genre you are working with.

Fun fact! Did you know much of the Old Testament is written to be memorable? That is lost just a little bit since some of the built-in tools are specific to the Hebrew, but some of them translate over. The Psalms and Proverbs are meant to be easily retainable and are therefore full of pictures and images that help us to grasp the concept of the verse. Psalm 119 is written in (Hebrew) alphabetical order to aid the reader in remembering the order of concepts. The Proverbs have a verb or adverb in nearly every line so it makes simple motions a great companion to remembering the Proverbs, especially for children.

1. Frequency and consistency. Just like every other area of life, the more time and effort you put in, the better the results will be. Carve out five minutes three different times a day to pull it out of your long-term memory and chew on it. Genuine devotion to this task is crucial.
2. Make it the first and last thing you see in a day. It’s tempting to check social media but this little change will make all the difference.
3. Use an app. There are several Bible memory apps out there that are useful for everything from recording your own voice to group competitions.
4. Pure Repetition. There’s nothing like reading and reciting the section over and over and over again.
5. Type your verse out. Most folks can type faster than they can write by hand so typing might be a more efficient way for you to “write” out your verses.
6. Have someone quiz you. Ask a friend to name a verse number or numbers and try to recite those verses without reciting it in context.
7. Memorize by concept instead of by verse. Sometimes we stop mid concept merely because that is where the verses are broken by number, but that can make it harder than it needs to be. For instance Proverbs 2:1-5 is one long sentence and while you can technically stop in the middle it will be simpler for your brain to memorize the entire concept. Or better yet print out a version of your passage without verse numbers, that way you can memorize by line, concept, or time constraint.
8. Try covering up a word or two at a time until you can say the verse all the way through.
9. Say it to yourself often. Every time you reach for your water use it as a reminder to just say it aloud once through.
10. Celebrate when you’re done! It’s fun to finish, and a little celebratory dance is perfect motivation to start on the next chapter.

Ok, the passage you have been working on is finally done! Don’t lose it! Unfortunately, it will be much easier to forget it than it was to memorize it. So repeat it daily for the next sixty days then weekly for the next six weeks and then monthly for the next six months. This strange thing will start to happen as you do this, you’ll find that it starts to apply to all sorts of situations. You’ll become keenly aware of when someone is speaking of a topic that pertains to something you’ve committed to memory. If you were working on memorizing with a friend, try keeping each other accountable for the next year. It seems like a long time but to put it in perspective, this will be beneficial for eternity. The dividend pays reward for much longer than the time it took to put into remembering it.

By Hannah Peterman