Memorizing Chunks of Scripture
“I can’t keep track of all the names,” she said frantically, as we passed each other with drinks trays in our hands . . . I sometimes forget that many people are not familiar with basic techniques for remembering data. The success of the subproject would be in my hands . . . I commenced with a woman whose name I already knew. “Greetings, Dr. Collie. What can I get you to drink?” She looked at me strangely, and for a moment I thought I had made an error with the word-association method I was using and that her name was perhaps Doberman or Poodle. But she did not correct me. “Just a white wine, thanks.”
– The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
Committing not only verses, but entire chunks of Scripture to memory has been the single most transformative spiritual discipline in my life. There is simply no better way to meditate on the Bible, day and night (Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:97). There is no better way to have God’s word remain in us (John 15:7), be stored up in us (Proverbs 2:1, 7:1), and dwell in us (John 15:7, Colossians 3:16). There is no more incontrovertible way of experiencing it as living and active in our lives (Hebrews 4:12).
Memorizing the Bible is quite different from reading or listening to it. It’s like the difference between gazing at a pond and jumping into it. When you memorize, you enter into a different kind of reality: you begin to notice every single word. You begin to understand tone and context and intention and perspective. The entire passage takes on a kind of detail and dimensionality that is completely unlike any other way of engaging with Scripture. And the words never really leave you, even after you may have consciously forgotten them.
How does one start? The big myth is that you have to be good at memorizing things. You don’t. It takes more commitment than skill. And it helps to have a technique. The most well-established technique is one described by Andrew Davis in his free book, An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture. Here is what it involves:
1. Pick a passage to memorize: it is best to start with one that is 90-160 verses long. Choose one that is meaningful or interesting to you. I began with the book of Ephesians (which I highly recommend; it was the book my dad memorized and is popular for a reason), but have also done sections of books (the Sermon on the Mount, favorite Psalms, sections of John).
2. Plan it out: count the number of verses in the entire book or passage. Using this technique, you will be memorizing one verse per day, with one day off each week, or six verses per week. Divide the total number of verses by six, and that will be how many weeks memorizing the book or passage should take you (Ephesians takes about six months). Consider making a written commitment to yourself and before God before beginning, and/or telling a friend about it who can check in on your progress.
3. Do the following every single day. Do not worry about how much you are actually retaining; just follow these steps:
Yesterday’s verse first. Recite yesterday’s verse out loud ten times in a row. Look at the text if you need to (you probably will) to refresh your memory.
Old verses together. Recite all the verses from the very beginning up through (and including) yesterday’s verse one time out loud.
New verse next. Recite the verse you are adding today—first, out loud ten times, looking at the words in the text as if photographing it with your eyes each time. Then cover the page, and recite it out loud again ten times, looking if you need to refresh your memory.
You simply continue this through the entire book. Obviously, the old verses together stage will take longer the farther you go—however, if your book or passage is in the 90-160 verse range, it should be doable. The entire book of Ephesians takes 15 minutes to recite at a reasonable rate, so your daily routine should never take much more than that amount of time. Some practical tips:
always have your Bible in hand: while you are explicitly supposed to look when reciting yesterday’s verse and/or the new verse, there is no shame in looking at any point if you need to. I used a copy machine to arrange the text onto a few pages I could fold up and carry with me, since as a visual learner it helped me to picture where the words were on the page, but I would use my phone in a pinch.
there is some debate about whether to include chapter and verse numbers. Davis strongly suggests it; others do not. These numbers are not part of the inspired word of God, but they do help if you want to locate the text—it’s up to you. If you want to include them, you would recite them at the beginning of every verse (e.g. “three-two assuming that you have heard of . . .”).
I found that it took a long time to actually begin to solidify the text in my memory: usually I’d really only be solid on the verses about one chapter behind where I was for that day. And that’s okay. Don’t worry about it; it will come.
for some reason, it generally helped to be physically moving as I was doing the daily routine, pacing, walking or even running.
once a week, do what Davis calls “weeding the garden”: in leiu of your daily routine, simply read through the book carefully, looking at it with your eyes, so you can correct the small (and sometimes large) errors that naturally build up over time, especially with sections you are used to reciting blind. To really catch myself, I used to record my recitation, and then check it against the text (or get your child to check it for you and highlight mistakes you make).
long-term consolidation: Davis recommends that, when you come to the end of the book, you consolidate it into your long-term memory by reciting the entire book daily from memory for 100 consecutive days. After that, if you want to keep it in your memory, recite it once a week. If you are ready to “kiss the book goodbye,” you simply stop at any point after the 100 days. I did this for Ephesians, and I will say, those 100 days felt like the most tedious part of all—although because it was done without looking at the text, it was easy to do while multi-tasking (commuting, washing dishes, etc).
“The absolute key to successful Scripture memorization is repetition over a long time period.”
This technique works well, I think, because of two key components: one, it stresses repetition over time. It requires commitment, yes, but it is also guaranteed to work, without any kind of stressful cramming or grand overture. And persistent repetition allows best for meditation. Secondly, it involves saying the words out loud, which truly makes a difference.
I’ll end with this video of Andy Naselli reciting 1 Corinthians. I had never heard anything like this before. It was radically inspiring to hear the word of God come alive in this way. Maybe that’s the best reason of all to memorize: so we can share it with others.
