There is no shortcut. You won’t memorize unless you put the time in. It’s easier for some and harder for others, but that’s just the way it is. Everyone memorizes a little differently and our goal with this short guide is to give a foundation for those who have never tried memorizing any verses from the Bible.

Pray

Before we even begin the process of memorizing, we should be going before the Lord and asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in choosing a verse(s). It could be as simple as, “Father, may your Word pierce my heart and your Holy Spirit lead me to a passage that shows me who you are. Amen.”

Choose the Passage

Maybe it’s 1 verse. Maybe it’s a book. Don’t know what to memorize, we’ve created this resource to help.

Understand Context & Meaning

Before memorizing, ensure you have a good understanding of the passage including the specific context- that is, the author, who’s being written to, what the surrounding verses are talking about, and the meaning of the specific verse(s). So often Scripture is used out of context and we should be diligent in understanding what it is we’re memorizing.

Start Slowly

Prevent burnout. If you’re just starting out memorizing, we’d recommend not trying to memorize an entire book off the jump. Start with a verse. As you memorize more, you’ll see more value in knowing the verses around a key passage. Naturally progress to longer passages.

Repetition

• Verbally

• Saying a verse is good. Hearing a verse is good. But being able to say and hear the verse is great.

• Written

• Research shows that writing by hand is better for memorizing and learning.

• Moving

• Some people memorize more easily when they are walking or physically doing something.

Meditate

When we sit with a passage, think on it, meditate on what God is saying, what it means, how it applies to life, we only deepen our understanding. Here is a good resource for practical methods of meditation.

We are meditating on God’s word as we are memorizing and we meditate after. We don’t just stop once we actually have a passage committed to memory. Once it’s memorized, we can meditate on the fullness of the passage without looking at it.

Review Often

Most people forget things. That’s life. It’s inevitable that we forget words, phrases or entire passages that we had previously memorized. There is grace in memorization. Know that you will forget and it’s okay when you do because it’s not about how much Bible you have memorized but rather deepening our relationship with God. Some passages might serve a purpose for being memorized during a certain season of life. Others may stick with you for your entire life.

We must be aware of the legalistic nature of memorizing Scripture that some may fall into over the course of time. When we view scripture memory as something we need to get done rather than intimate fellowship with God, we grow weary of it.

Forgetting will happen but there are things we can do to commit God’s word to our long term memory. One of the biggest of those things is reviewing often.

Try to keep track of the passages you’ve memorized so that you can review them. A routine to review can also be a really good way to make sure you’re reviewing.

Part of the reason we’ve created our card holders is so that we can keep already memorized passages in one place to easily review. You obviously don’t have to use our tools, but find something that works for you like a dedicated ‘Memorization’ folder in your notes app or taping a notebook page into the back of your bible. Whatever it is, find a way to have your memorized passages all in one place. Maybe at the end of the month you review those verses you memorized during that month.

For those who have participated in Scripture memory, you likely have felt the desire to move onto the next one after having a passage memorized and “done,” myself included. Be encouraged to fight this temptation.

Accountability

Memorizing is very much a personal process of meditating on God’s word, and that is not to be taken away, but what we do suggest is to bring fellow believers around you to walk in greater joy too; a friend, a spouse, a sibling, a mentee. 

Like most things that are hard to do, it’s best to not do it alone. There will be times when we don’t want to. Maybe even extended times we try to rely on our own willpower. “You don’t know me. I’m different.” We all are guilty of saying this at some point. Maybe you are, but is it not life giving to bring others into greater joy?