Why I Started Memorizing Scripture

As someone who was blessed to grow up under the influence of a Christian mother and attend church throughout most of my childhood, I have been familiar with verses like this one for about as long as I can remember. And although I've always believed that the Bible is God's Word, I didn't really commit my life to Christ for good until I was 14. Most of my life prior to this was spent in a back-and-forth relationship with God, where I would seemingly be on fire with zeal for a month or two, then become lukewarm or even cold for about as long before starting the cycle over again. A number of things changed in my life during the summer and fall of 2007, however, that made me realize my need for a very personal relationship with my heavenly Father – something I soon learned was impossible apart from His Word. I understood what the Bible itself said about Scripture memorization, but I had never given much serious thought to whether or not it would be worth doing on a consistent basis myself.

Whenever the subject was brought up by a friend or family member, I would say something like, “I just don’t have a good enough memory for that. I can barely remember someone’s name, let alone verbatim Scripture.” What didn’t make sense about this excuse is that I’d never actually tried to memorize, and yet I somehow knew I would be unable to. I guess because I couldn’t recite from memory the Scriptures I’d read one time during my devotion that day, I assumed I had a bad memory and not merely a neglected one. Then I read “A Call to Die” by David Nasser, a 40-day devotional I’ve recommended countless times since, and my excuses were blown out of the water:

“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 actually had a much better memory than I was willing to admit, though not an above average one; 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 because I felt it was one of my Christian duties, it didn’t take long for me to start quoting my memory verses regularly in my prayers and even 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, such as memory books and Tic-Tac-Know, were overwhelmingly helpful, as was their referral to Memverse.com. Of course discovering that I was not alone in my efforts to memorize Scripture was equally as helpful, and served as a great motivator going forward. I guess you could say the rest is history, as I've not only remained convinced over the years that hiding God's Word in one's heart is absolutely necessary, but I've also started spending as much time as possible sharing this conviction with other believers - a practice I've been surprised to find serves as a personal motivator in itself. So what's your story? When and why did you start memorizing Scripture? Is that the same reason you continue to memorize today, or has your motivation changed somewhat over time? We'd love to hear from you and be encouraged by your testimony!  

*A Call to Die - © 2000 by David Nasser