Once upon a time, I was able to go to the grocery store without
a list and purchase all the necessary ingredients for a week’s worth of meals.
I didn’t use bookmarks when reading, either. I remembered the page and
paragraph I where had left off, even if I didn’t pick up the book again for
days. And there was no need for a contacts list; the phone numbers were in my
head. But no more, friends, no more.
You could blame it on pregnancy, or maybe age. You might even
say this mental flakiness is caused by my four constant companions who are
skilled in interrupting mommy’s thought train long enough for me to forget I
ever had a thought. Whatever the cause, my short-term memory seems to have
taken a long-term leave. And yet, now is when I could benefit from it the most.
In my last post, I discussed the need to stop listening to
myself and start talking to myself. Nothing can slay a bad attitude better than
the “sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b). The problem is, I don’t always have easy
access to my Bible in that crisis moment. Flipping through the pages of my
Bible isn’t allowed when I’m navigating traffic with a screaming toddler in the
backseat. Even if I were home simply flipping pancakes when my daughter walks
in and bursts into tears, I seldom have my Bible open and ready next to the hot
stove. Yet it is in those moments—when the fight breaks out in the backseat, when
the child is fearful with sickness during the night, when I get a call while
fixing dinner that a loved one is in the hospital—that I need that sword the
most to fight through anger, anxiety, and discouragement.
The answer to this predicament is easy enough: memorize the
Word. As writer of Psalm 119:9-11 explains, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your
word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” The
hard part is to actually do the answer—to try to memorize Scripture in a season
when I can’t even remember my age without some quick math. How do you go about
memorizing Scripture when you feel like you don’t have a brain?
Intentionally—with prayer; paper and pen; persistent practice; and partnership.
First, pray. Ask
God to help you memorize His Word. Bible memory isn’t easy, it isn’t something
the devil wants us to succeed in, and it isn’t something indwelling sin wants
to dwell on. Still, however frazzled and defeated you feel, God is able and
willing to strengthen you to do His will. If you desire to memorize Scripture,
ask God for the resolve and the help to do it. Jesus says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and
you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Memory for Bible is a
good thing. Ask for it—and then persevere to work at it.
Second, use paper and
pen to help you memorize. God will help us memorize, but it will take work.
When memorizing a passage, open your physical Bible, read the verse on the
page, and then write it out on a notecard or sticky note. Why so old-fashioned?
Why not just pull the verse up on your phone and stare at it? For a couple of
reasons: First, while smart phones have lovely Bible and Bible memory apps,
they also have a lot of other apps that pull our attention away from the
Word—because there is no time like devotions to check the weather, the news,
email, or that text message that just popped up. When we step away from
technology for a few minutes, we give our brains a better chance to focus
without distraction. Second, muscle memory aids memorization. When I take the
time to actually write out a grocery list, even if I lose that list I am more
likely to remember what was on it. The act of spelling out and shaping each
word with my hand helps cement those words in my brain. If I write something
down a couple of times, I’m more likely to remember it.
Third, persistently
practice the passage you want to memorize. Write the verse down on a few
sticky notes and put them up in locations you frequent so you can review the
verse multiple times a day: the fridge door, the microwave, the bathroom
mirror, your closet door, your phone. Write it on a notecard and make it your
bookmark. Before you read your book, read your verse. Before you read anything
else for devotions, read your verse. Before you go to sleep at night, read your
verse. Say it out loud, write it down, and type it out and text it to a friend.
Practice makes perfect, so repeat, repeat, repeat!
Finally, find a partner
who will offer you accountability and encouragement in your Bible memory
efforts. This partner could be your spouse, your child, or a friend. Ask
them to pray for you, to check in on your progress, and to listen you recite
your verse. Invite them to memorize with you. Recently our family worked on
memorizing 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a together. We worked on it daily at meal times,
introducing a new segment of the passage at the dinner table where we discussed
it and recited it together. My kids were eager to prompt or correct me with my
memory faltered—and having them listen to my recitation helped their own
memorizing as well.
Friends, it isn’t easy to get our brains to remember much in
these busy days, and we can think up any number of legitimate excuses to push
Bible memory off to a later date. Let’s not. The Word of God is worth storing
up in our hearts. We need those words of truth to strengthen our hands, quiet our
tempers, calm our fears, and help us discern the spiritual state of our hearts,
our children, and our world. If we want the apt Bible verse to be on the tip of
our tongues when crisis hits, we must first have it stored in our hearts. With
paper and pen, practice, and partnership, let’s fight do just that. Let’s pray
that God will equip our minds to remember His Word, and then persevere to
memorize it.
No comments:
Post a Comment