Memorize Scripture…As An Adult!?

5 Compelling reasons to Memorize Soul-Shaping scriptures this year:

Of the many passages which tell about the importance of abiding in God’s word, Colossians 3:18 is one of my favorites.  It says we should, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”  But how do we actually, practically do that?  There are a few ways, but I would like to remind my brothers and sisters in Christ to consider one often overlooked, but fairly simple, significantly beneficial practice for adults…memorizing scripture.  I hope to persuade you with my top 5 significant reasons Bible memory FOR ADULTS is still relevant, and perhaps might be the most spiritually beneficial practice you could add to your life this year.  Encouraging Bible memory as a practice for children is pretty easy to come by, but adults seem to need a little more convincing. Many adults seem to think Bible memory is a good exercise for children, with their young, impressionable minds.  Those same adults often think it is no longer attainable or as relevant for themselves – especially in this digital age, where we have our compact cell phones and tablets always at our fingertips.  After all, we can simply google a word or topic, with just a few key words, and bring down a plethora of information in seconds, right?  So why bother memorizing it?  Another common objection I have heard among adult is simply, “I’m old, my memory is not that great anymore.  I can’t do it.”  

Before laying down what I think are 5 compelling reasons for adults to make the effort to memorize scripture, I think it may be helpful to address those two objections.  First, the many passages I have clung to throughout my life as a follower of Christ would never have been the help they have truly been to me had I not memorized as an adult.  The truth is, I didn’t even own a Bible until I was an adult, let alone memorize parts of it.  I became a Christian in college…as an adult.  I know I am not alone in this – many of my fellow believers have come to Christ as adults.  If Bible memory is only for children, we all would have missed that boat entirely.  I’m very thankful that along with Bible reading and prayer, Bible memory among adults was just as strongly emphasized as part of the discipleship culture of the local church family where I attended throughout most of my Christian life. Secondly, I would like to make clear that I am an ordinary Christ-follower.  I’m just a lay person, and this is not a natural gifting for me.  In fact, I have a struggling memory.  I regularly forget the names of people and directions to places I ought to remember.  My point is that if I can do this, so can you.  If you think your memory is poor, keep in mind that memorizing scripture can actually strengthen your memory.  So, don’t let a poor memory drive you away, let it draw you in.  

Regardless of whether you regularly read or meditate on a Bible digitally or in book form, I’m hoping to inspire you with the following 5 unique advantages to actually MEMORIZING passages of scripture even, and perhaps especially, in this digital age…as an adult. 

Reason #1: Memorizing Scripture will equip you for Life’s crisis moments big and small.  Maybe your crisis moments are small but frequent day to day things…like sitting in a dentist chair afraid and alone, or dealing with the anxieties of a troubled teen. Some of my more frequent crisis moments come by way of middle-of-the-night worries. With my big family, there is always something or someone I could be gripped with worry over, and nighttime seems to awaken those concerns.  My natural inclination is to let those nighttime thoughts swirl and get darker and darker.  I have learned in those moments however, to look to and recite memorized scripture.  My favorite night time worry passage is Ps. 62:5-8.  I have others, but they all remind me of who God is and put those worries back into perspective. This has been most helpful in my battle for faith over anxiety, bringing peace to my soul.  Crisis moments can include any trial however, and if we live long enough, we will all face crisis moments of a larger scope.  Say you are in a car accident, or you’re recovering from cancer surgery.  Maybe you are battling fear in a hospital room, or standing outside your home after a tragic fire or tornado… or perhaps you just got that call you never expected.  What sustains you in those moments?  I can pretty much guarantee that Siri won’t be much help at that point, but I will say that if you have scripture memorized and are developing the habit of applying those scriptures to your life, the Holy Spirit will bring them to your heart and mind when you need them.  Are you equipped with a mental pantry of promises and passages from God’s word to sustain you?  The time to stock your pantry is not after, but before the tornado hits.

Reason #2:  Memorizing scripture will provide truth to meditate on “Day and Night” wherever you are and in whatever you are doing. Psalm 1 begins, by saying there is a blessing for the believer who loves and meditates on God’s word “day and night.”  There are plenty of times when I’m unable to access my iPhone…when I am out driving in the car, folding laundry, raking, shoveling, doing dishes, cooking, cleaning, or giving a toddler a bath.   All these are times when my hands and eyes are occupied, and I cannot look to my bible or iPhone, but if I have memorized scripture, I can be meditating right then and there…NO MATTER WHAT I’m doing. I would also add here (since I have a fair amount of experience parenting and teaching Sunday School with children) that my husband and I have found that the children who are most apt to have their memorized verses actually stick and best know how to apply those words to everyday life situations, are those whose parents are also practicing memorizing.   When parents are not just saying, “Do as I say,” but rather, “Do as I do.”  Parents who model memorizing, while also helping their children see when and where specifically memorized verses can apply as they live life together in various situations, can have a greater impact. This is true discipleship lived out in the home.  This can work for singles and others living life in our church in this “family of families” community as well, especially when we find others to share accountability.  Do you ever feel like you have been given a lot of information about God, but that nothing really sticks to make a lasting impression on your life?  Try memorizing scripture and begin meditating in this way, on it day and night. You will be blessed.  Psalm 1 guarantees it. 

Reason #3: Memorizing scripture can provide biblically informed truth for powerful conversations and prayer. Do you ever find yourself coming up blank when in the midst of a conversation with someone, and you wish you had (or think you ought to have) something spiritually significant to share?  If you have some biblical passages or blessings memorized, you will not come up short in those moments.  Very often during the week when I am memorizing a passage, the Holy Spirit will give me opportunities to share it.  Even in those weeks when the passage is not fully memorized, if I am actively working on it, I will know it well enough to share some portion or related truth, or be able to quickly reference it to share.  This gives me opportunities to share biblically informed truth and encouragement with others in conversations throughout the week.  Similar to sharing significant words in conversations, if you have truth by way of memorized scriptural promises, prayers or blessings, you will be able to incorporate those into your prayer life.  I have found in my experience memorizing bible passages, moments when the Holy Spirit has given opportunities to share those words in powerful prayer.  When scripture is added to my personal prayer life or when I am given opportunities to incorporate memorized scripture as I pray for others, it is accompanied by an authority that speaks more powerfully than anything I alone could ever say.  

Reason #4: Memorizing scripture helps to warn of and fight temptation. This is probably my favorite reason for memorizing, because of how helpful it has been to my spiritual life.  I don’t know about you, but when I’m faced with a temptation to sin, in that moment, I’m not thinking, “Well now, I just better look up a verse in my bible or on my phone to fight this!”  No.  When I am truly being drawn by a temptation, my inclination is…to sin.  And unfortunately, my phone, as advanced as it’s technology is, still cannot give me a “DING!” to warn me against sin.  It will send me a loud “ding!” when lots of other people are trying to get my attention, but not God. Quite the opposite.  BUT!  I have learned that in the moment of temptation, the Holy Spirit will often infuse my thoughts with memorized verses to speak truth and warning to me.  Ps. 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  If you have not experienced this, I challenge you to choose an area of recurring sin, then memorize a passage which speaks truth into that sin area, and determine to focus your attention on that passage the next time you are tempted.  The Holy Spirit will help you in recalling this word at the right moment.  I really do think if you have not practiced this, or practiced this for a while, you have no idea how valuable this can be to your personal discipleship and spiritual growth. We do have an enemy. Satan hates me, he hates my family, my marriage, my faith and our church…how do you fight him? Are you struggling with a recurring area of sin?  I encourage you to try memorizing scripture. Memorized scripture is one powerful weapon we often leave at the door, or more literally, on the shelf. 

Reason #5: Memorizing scripture helps to develop in me the mind of Christ. You might be saying at this point, “Well yes, I may one day find myself in a crisis moment, or in a hard conversation, or be faced with a difficult temptation, but at the moment, those seem a long way off. You are talking about investing time and energy into memorizing for some possible future crisis, conversation, or hard moment, and I still just don’t see the benefit beyond rare circumstances.”  And to that I would say, memorizing is also for the here and now. Memorizing impacts your faith and relationship with God and His word in a unique way – right now. In speaking to other adults who regularly practice memorizing scripture, they resoundingly said the number one benefit of memorizing God’s word, was that those memorized passages became very precious to them, were better understood, and became like a part of them.  Those very words have been repeated regularly to me.  Developing the mind of Christ is truly happening. In the here and now, memorizing is forming a deeper love for God and his word and develops within us the mind of Christ. As I said in the beginning, from Colossians 3:18, this is truly what it means to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Memorizing the word as an adult, imprints that living truth on our hearts and minds in a soul-shaping way.  It has been a lifeline for me.  I urge you to give it a try. 

Warmly,

Anne

Blog Archive - Original Post September 2019