A Post From the Archives: Why I Started Memorizing Scripture

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

I have been familiar with this verse for as long as I can remember. Although I’ve always believed that the Bible is God’s Word, Scripture memory wasn’t a regular part of my life until my early teenage years. Whenever the subject was brought up by a friend or family member, I would say something like, “I just don’t have a good memory. I can barely remember someone’s name, let alone Scripture.”

What didn’t make sense about this excuse is that I’d never really tried to memorize, and yet I somehow knew I would be unable to. Then I read A Call to Die by David Nasser, a 40-day devotional I’ve recommended countless times since. He wrote,

“I hear people whine, ‘I can’t memorize verses from the Bible. It’s too hard!’ That’s ridiculous. These same people know every song on their favorite CD, and I know a couple of guys who can recite the entire dialogue from The Three Amigos word for word! The first thing I want you to realize is: yes, you can memorize verses from the Bible!”*

These words helped me realize that I had a much better memory than I was willing to admit; I simply wasn’t utilizing it for the glory of God. If I could devote so much time and energy to memorizing song lyrics about God, shouldn’t I spend at least as much time memorizing the actual words of God? I spent the next 40 days memorizing about 2 verses every week, and I continued at that pace over the next several months. Even though I had initially started memorizing out of a sense of duty, it didn’t take long for me to start quoting my memory verses regularly in my prayers and everyday conversations. Without even realizing it, Scripture memorization soon became an integral part of my spiritual life and something I valued as much as any other spiritual discipline.

It was around this same time that I attended a local homeschool fair and was introduced to the ministry of Scripture Memory Fellowship for the first time. The resources they offered, especially their Bible memory courses, were overwhelmingly helpful to me. Of course, discovering that I was not alone in my efforts to memorize Scripture was equally helpful and served as a great motivator and encouragement for years to come.

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*“A Call to Die” – © 2000 by David Nasser