Memorizing Scripture
Memorizing Scripture is a spiritual practice that will "up your game" when it comes to obeying God's Word.
I have a pretty bad memory. At least, that's what my wife says. Maybe she's right. But for several months now, I've been memorizing multiple Scripture verses each week. So far, I've managed to memorize over 170 verses of the Bible.
Some may argue that there is no need to memorize Scripture anymore. And that's because the Bible is so accessible to us today. We have unhindered access to the Bible in the form of a physical copy of it that we can own (unless you live in persecuted parts of the world) or in a digital format through an app on our phones or a website that we can visit. The Bible is certainly more accessible today than it has ever been. Imagine living during the time of Jesus where they didn't have physical copies of the Bible for personal use or smartphones to access Scripture through the internet. God's Word is widely available to people today and this is a very good thing. If that's the case, is there any good reason to still memorize Scripture when it's so easy to just Google what you're looking for?
The point of reading and understanding Scripture isn't so that we can fill our heads with Biblical knowledge (though it's a very good thing to have strong Biblical literacy). The point of knowing and understanding Scripture is so that we can live our lives in a way that is consistent with what God desires. And we know what God desires through our study of Scripture. But we don't just want to know what God says in His Word. We want to apply it appropriately to our lives. As James encouraged in his letter to the Christians during his time: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (Jam. 1:22 ESV).
Memorizing Scripture is a spiritual practice that will "up your game" when it comes to obeying God's Word. Think about it. Consider being in a situation where you need to obey God's Word right away. In the heat of the moment, it's probably too late to pull out your Bible and try to find the right passage you need at that exact moment. It's too late to Google the problem and find the right Bible verse to obey. In the heat of the moment, you're likely going to react quickly. And you will either do so in a godly or ungodly way. If you've been memorizing Scripture, you will be giving yourself the best chance to recall the appropriate Bible verses right away that will hopefully help you get through a situation in a way that pleases God most.
That's what Jesus did. When confronted with temptation from Satan, Jesus combatted the enemy by pulling up Scripture right away—Scripture that He'd already memorized beforehand (read the story in Matt. 4:1-11). Jesus was able to beat temptation in a godly way because Scripture was already stored in His mind and heart. And He was able to utilize it immediately. No fumbling around through the Bible to find the right verse to use. No Googling the problem to search for a solution. Jesus had already stored Scripture in His mind and heart for use when the right time came.
Although many of us have full access to Scripture today, there is still something beneficial about memorizing vital parts of the Bible. If we store Scripture in our minds and our hearts, it will hopefully enable us to get through different situations in life in a way that pleases God most. It will help us obey God better and faster because we can recall it and apply it as soon as possible with the least amount of delay.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
