Spiritual Discipline: Memorization of Scripture
William Gaultiere, Ph.D., © 2005
“As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer” (Luke 5:16, MSG). And when Jesus prayed in solitude he probably meditated on Scriptures that he had memorized. Jesus certainly memorized a lot of Scripture because he was able to quote it on the spur of the moment in all sorts of situations. He frequently quoted from the Old Testament when fighting off Satan’s temptations in the wilderness, teaching the crowds, or responding to the Pharisees criticisms.
Scripture memory is a wonderful aid to meditation. For one thing it enables you to take God’s Word with you wherever you go so that at any time – while driving, waiting in line, talking with a friend, or laying in bed (my personal favorite!) – you can mull over God’s Word and pray through it. God was teaching us the value of memorizing his words when he said through Moses, “The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it” (Deuteronomy 30:14, NIV). The Psalmist speaks of loving God’s law so much that he memorizes it by hiding God’s Word in his heart (Psalm 119:11). Peter’s Scripture memory bore tremendous fruit in his spontaneous sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-42). When you memorize Scripture in this way you’re taking its structure, wisdom, and grace inside your soul. And by doing so you’ll experience new and deeper insights and intimacies with God then you could otherwise enjoy.
The typical approach to Scripture memory, popularized by the evangelical organizations like the Navigators and utilized by Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life, is to memorize lots of individual verses or short passages on topical themes. This is a helpful approach. However, the Bible was not given in verse format, but in flowing conversations. Memorizing larger sections of Scripture in paragraphs or whole chapters dramatically deepens our experience with God’s Word, helping us to immerse our whole beings into the flow of its Spirit and life. We simply let the passage carry us along by prayerfully reciting it over and over it renews our minds in God’s goodness.
Martin Luther taught, “The one who is trained well will be able to use a chapter of Scripture as a [pocket] lighter to kindle a fire in his heart.” Praying over a chapter that you’ve memorized is like carrying a pocket lighter that can warm you up to God’s presence at any time. The thought of memorizing a whole chapter of Scripture might be intimidating to you. Just don’t start with Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible!, and you’ll be okay. Scripture memory just requires repetition. Memory is like a muscle so if you exercise it you’ll be surprised how much Scripture you’ll be able to memorize!
I am continually amazed at what happens when I memorize a long passage of Scripture and pray through it. The Lord gives me new insights from a passage that I have read and meditated on dozens of times before; God's Spirit speaks to my soul and teaches me wonderful things that I couldn't learn any other way. Internalizing God's Word conforms my mind and heart to God's ways and brings me his encouragement, comfort, and guidance for that day.
The Psalms are a good place to start memorizing whole chapters because they engage your heart and lead you right into prayer and worship. (They’re also easier to remember because they’re rich with imagery!) Particularly helpful to me have been Psalms 1, 16, 23, 27, 42, 63, 84, 91, 95, and 100. Other passages that have been helpful to me as pocket lighters for prayer along the path of life with God include the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10), the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-18), Philippians 3:7-14, and portions of Colossians 3 and 1 John 4. Advanced memorizers can go onto even longer chapters like Isaiah 53 and Romans 8.
