Memorizing God’s Word

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:11

Seneca, the ancient Greek teacher of rhetoric, would impress his class of two hundred by asking each student to recite a favorite line of poetry. He would then recite all two hundred lines from memory in reverse order. Augustine had a friend who could recite all the poet Virgil’s works—backward!

Okay, maybe those guys were gifted—but there are lots of things each of us can recite from memory too. Family members’ names, birthdays, and other important dates; numerous phone numbers and addresses; and our Social Security, checking account, credit card, and driver’s license numbers. And what about popular songs from high school, songs from summer camp, and favorite hymns?

These items have two characteristics in common: frequent use and indispensability. We’ve memorized them because we use them so often and because we can’t get along without them. What would happen to our efforts at scripture memory if we viewed the Bible the same way?

Try this: pick a passage of Scripture that addresses a need you face (indispensability), and read it once a day (frequency). Before long, you’ll know it by heart!