Bible Memorization
If you say:
"I don't have a good memory."
or "I don't have that kind of time!"
Lay your concerns excuses before God!
And keep reading.
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On Saturday, December 10, 2020, I watched Susan Heck's "A Call to Scripture Memory" - https://youtu.be/WVvPtTCni1E - and asked God if it would be possible for me to commit ONE short book of the Bible to memory by January 1, 2022?
I was intrigued by the "brain training" aspect of the concept, deeply convicted of the spiritual benefits of this idea, and incredibly sincere in my desire to hide God's Word in my heart. I was also cynical and skeptical that it would be remotely possible for me, with such extensive memory incapability after strokes had wiped out so much of my brain, hitting memory centers hard!
I flipped through my Bible and felt satisfied that I should try the book of Jude since I figured it must be the shortest book, at only a single chapter comprised on just 25 verses. I didn't know my Bible well enough to realize that there are four books (3 John, 2 John, Philemon and Obadiah) even shorter!
Giving myself almost 13 months to attempt the task, hopeful that if I spent a year here, maybe I could learn at least parts of a few of these verses in that time, I was sure it was an unattainable task for this woman with such extensive brain injuries 🤕 that I shouldn't even be alive, to even begin to consider that I might actually be able to memorize the whole thing!
As we approach the two-year anniversary of my prayer [this post was written early December, 2022], I will say, my fears were totally valid. I was right. I COULD NOT!
After two years of brain training this way, I still struggle with basic math functions. I still wrestle to write. (I was a published author before the strokes, but have spent over a year and a half floundering in trying to get just the FIRST CHAPTER of my current work readable.) I still can't keep my own kids' names and birthdates straight. I still do not have the cognitive speed necessary to drive a car. I still have significant facial recognition issues and am forever embarrassing myself by shaking hands with people I know while saying, "Hi, I'm Jennifer. I don't think we have met before. " 🙄
I often struggle to remember my address or phone number or even what calendar year it is. I've tried to memorize our kids or my parents phone numbers for YEARS (over a decade) and still do not know any of them.
It is so true, I CANNOT! But Scripture memory is not like any other cognitive skill. The difference is that God commands us to hide His Word in our hearts. When we pursue that goal persistently, consistently, and in His strength rather than relying on our own skills, He honors our efforts, supernaturally enabling by His Holy Spirit.
Honestly, sometimes I even feel a bit like I'm "cheating," because as hard as Scripture memory can be, because it is not driven solely by my own efforts, as anything else my brain attempts is, Bible memorization is so much easier than any other mental task I ever try!
Can I pretend these last two years have been without effort.
No.
I have had to treat this seriously, investing consistent and persistent time. (For me, that's sometimes hours per day, just as I do with ALL of my ongoing post-stroke therapies, but I'll address *your time factor in a moment, so hang in here and keep reading, please). I've had to train with the dedication of an athlete. I've had to research Scripture and memory methods. I've had to be intentional.
Yet, when measured by the same standards applied to anything else I do, none of this explains my outcome! At the Bible Memory Goal message board community, founder Josh Summers is constantly reminding us that almost every one of us is there because we heard of someone else doing long passage Scripture memory and we were inspired and challenged to try the same. Scripture memorization is such a huge part of my life that I want to talk about it to everyone, but I usually don't in face-to-face interaction because I haven't figured out how to do so without sounding like I'm bragging. So I'm putting this post here today, so that next time the awkward conversation comes up, whoever I'm talking with gets the benefit of the challenge, while God gets ALL the glory!
Over the past two years, I have fully memorized the book of Jude, all five chapters of the book of 1 John, 3 1/2 (out of 5) chapters of 1 Peter, and a few stand-alone verses, Psalms, and other passages. Completed, I now have 180 verses plugged into my review cycle (spending between 5-30 minutes per day to review every verse in my cycle at least once per month - view my version of the "memory box" at https://youtu.be/L9VGIAjmDjc , jumping to the 8:30 timestamp for long-passage adaptation details.) I also have around 60+ more verses in various stages of cementing memorization.
This is in no way a reflection of my capabilities, but is totally a testimony to the faithfulness of God! If you feel like you can't memorize because you "don't have a good memory," lay your concerns before God, my friend!
* OK, if you are just beginning to consider Scripture memory, I bet I lost you a few paragraphs back when I talked about the time involved! 😜 Before writing off the idea of Bible memorization saying, "I don't have that kind of time!" please consider two things:
1. You have way more time than you realize! In 30 seconds waiting for the microwave, you can pull out an app on your phone and review a verse or two. In the shower you can recite a chapter or two. When you wake up in the night, the best way to stop those racing thoughts is to take them captive by intentionally revisiting Scripture. You can redeem commute time by choosing to listen to verses rather than music. Before you flip on the TV, flip open your Bible for five minutes.
Ask God to show you all the wasted windows of time where you can be blessed by His Word!
2. I am SLOW. It literally takes me 3-10 times as long as anyone else I know to accomplish ANY mental task. Writing a check often takes me an hour (and a voided check or two) to get right. While, thankfully, my husband gets the bills paid, our house is constantly cluttered with mail and other paperwork I need to file. Sending my daughter a simple greeting card at college took me nearly three months to accomplish, by the time I could organize the task enough to gather a pen, the stamp, write three or four sentences, get the envelope properly addressed, attach the stamp, and walk it out to the mailbox! (Now you know why I no longer try to mail out Christmas cards.) I've invested well over 30 hours in actively writing/editing this article.
Do you think your organization skills would make it possible for you to memorize one verse next year?
What about one verse per month over the next year? By this time next year, you could know 12 new verses that you don't know right now (and won't know next year either unless your decide to).
A verse each week would give you over 50 new verses next year.
Two verses per week would bypass me. At 180 verses over the past two years, my average pace has been 7 1/2 just verses learned per month! I know a few people who tick off 10 verses per DAY, who memorize one-three chapters per week!
A verse per day is something many folks easily manage in the beginning, while a new verse every two or three days seems very sustainable for most people once they have built up a selection that require regular review to maintain.
Please pray about what you might wish to attempt to memorize over the next 13 months. Take your desires and fears to God, then jump in and keep trying. I can't wait to hear what happens!
Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com
I would love to meet you through social media:
author page - facebook.com/HarvestingHope
Specialty pages:
infertility / loss - fb.com/HannahsHopeBook
stroke - fb.com/StrokieGal
current book project on church deception - fb.com/DeceptionUnmasked
My books:
Read about my current book project for women, about deception in the church, at JenniferSaake.blogspot.com/2021/04/DeceptionUnmasked.html
Read more about infertility, miscarriage, adoption loss, and my first book, Hannah's Hope (written pre-stroke), at JenniferSaake.blogspot.com/2021/04/hannahs.html
Please enjoy a free pdf version of the introduction, my personal infertility / loss story, and the first chapter of Hannah's Hope at www.hannahshopebook.com/media/HannahHopeChapter1.pdf
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