MASTERING THE THOUGHT LIFE (Memorization)

Reading Proverbs 3:3 is an automatic invitation to sing Todd Dulaney’s song (Tablet of your heart) The wise instruction from a Father to his son dictates “Let not mercy and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart“. Isn’t that not an admirable goal? To be reciters of God’s word? To be utterly consumed by His truths and have them coating our utterances? That our hellos and goodmornings will lead with grace and love? That even the hardest conversations come off with magnitudes of kindness?

Deuteronomy 6:6-8; Psalm 119:11 

Memorizing scripture often comes off as a  “Sunday School thing” ; a superannuated endeavor. I recall how intentional our teachers were as they made us sing; Infact  yodel best describes it seeing as to how we were in sync to an extent I think we would pass off as being  euphonius. We would recite and recite without fail, often missing a word in place but starting over as though it didn’t matter. Granted there were some treats that motivated us but the simplicity of conveying the word marked by the intention of creating permanence of the word in our hearts remained in view. Unfortunately, for most of us, this habit ceased the moment we  grew up, our minds begun to be filled with every other thought but God’s word and the scripture occupancy rate in our brains dwindled tremendously. The comfort of reachability, availability and accesibility of the word through phone apps and Bibles has made complacency and inaction  appealing  . Bibles are lined up on shelves, Bible apps are occupying phone storages while our hearts remain blank. 

“It is better to have ten good verses transferred into the substance of our lives than to have every word of the Bible merely flash before our eyes.”

Memorizing Scripture isn’t a discipline that a random theologian came up with. Jesus modeled this in Matthew 4:4 ; 7; 10. A starting statement was “It is written….” He didn’t just read and store away (not that they had the word in the cute Bibles we have today) but he stored it where it mattered most; the heart. The relationship between the human mind and the Word of God is powerful. During dark times, the Holy Spirit calls out these memorized verses to bring you wisdom, strength, and hope. When we need counsel, there is a word for it. When we need to encourage our loved ones, there is a word in timely season to revive hope for us. Why would we then not commit to diligently make room for the word of God in our hearts?

The Holy Spirit cannot call out what isn’t stored up in our hearts and minds.

Like any novice, this will require effort. It takes intentionality and consistency in recalling and bringing to mind the truth of God’s word. Memorizing Scripture is one way of engaging with scripture. It is the act of actively knowing, keeping in mind and reciting the word.

Much as it can seem like such a task, there are practical ways of making this practice practical and fun:

• Write it down entirely and make a point to read it everyday. (Someone said “Read it 10 times, Speak it 10 times. Write it 2 times.)

• Note key words that connect the verses/ emphasize the core message.

• Memorize gradually ; in portions i.e one line at a time and keep adding onto it as you recite from the beginning. 

• Copy it and post it on areas you visit frequently. Alternatively, write different verse lines and distribute them throughout your home in different rooms.

• Say it aloud every morning and evening or before you sleep and when you have breaks (you can schedule reminders on your phone).

• Set it’s image as your wallpaper or screensaver.

• Write it on Cards and carry it around in your bag or have a Scripture Memory book.

• Memorize with friends and send voice memos/voice notes to help keep you accountable. Additionally, engage in games to keep you recalling the verses.

• Act it out or sing it.

• Use pictures to help trigger your memory.

Memorization makes my gaze towards Jesus steady and clearer.

The benefits of memorization go far beyond collecting and storing up. Memorization plays a part in helping us master our meditations and guarding our thought lives. It is crucial in strengthening our prayer. It is crucial in providing tools with which which can triumph over sin and satan and in following the command of God to witness and memorizing scripture makes us effective witnesses of the gospel.

“I beseech you to let your Bibles be everything to you. Carry this matchless treasure with you continually, and read it, and read it, and read it again and again. Turn to its pages by day and night. Let its narratives mingle with your dreams; let its promises cheer your darkness, let its divine illumination make glad your life. As you love God, love this book which is the book of God, and the God of books, as it has rightly been called.” Spurgeon