For years, I was the “queen of bad” at hiding God’s Word in my heart. I had great intentions and periodically even managed to memorize a verse or two. The problem was those verses never seemed to stick in my mind for very long. In the area of Scripture memorization, I felt like a total failure.
So in order to alleviate my guilt, I convinced myself hiding God’s Word in my heart was optional—great idea for some … but definitely not for me! It was far too difficult.
Then I met Tom, a no-nonsense man who not only loves God and His Word but is deeply committed to the discipline of Scripture memorization. Tom’s life and teaching profoundly reflect the depth of Scripture he has committed to memory over the years.
Through Tom’s life, the Lord convicted me that memorizing Scripture was not just a “difficult area” for me—my failure to memorize had become sin. I was choosing not to hide God’s Word in my heart because it was too hard !
Convicted of my sin, I ask the Lord’s forgiveness and cried out for His help in conquering this daunting giant. His provision was clearly evident as a friend shared a simple tool that helped her memorize and retain over 500 verses in less than one year!
If you’ve struggled with retaining what you’ve memorized, I encourage you to try this very simple tool. It consists of three sheets:
The “Once a Day for Seven Weeks” Sheet
Write the verse(s) you’ll be memorizing on the first line (example: Philippians 1:1 or 1:1–5). Rehearse that verse at least once daily for the next seven weeks. After several days you can begin working on additional verses.
The “Once a Week for Seven Months” Sheet
After seven weeks move the verse(s) you’ve completed to this second sheet. Review these verses once a week for seven months. (I often review on the weekend.)
The “Once a Month for Seven Years” Sheet
At the end of seven months move the verse(s) to this third sheet, and review them once a month for seven years.
With the help of this little tool I’ve grown to love memorizing and meditating on God’s Word. In fact, memorizing God’s Word has brought life to some of the more mundane tasks of the day—getting ready in the morning, running errands, doing laundry, and even mowing the lawn. Although, I have to warn you, that last one can be a bit tricky. I had to assure my husband that I was able to mow in a straight line when I was familiar with the verses I was memorizing. Our compromise: review old verses in the front yard, and work on new ones in the backyard!
What’s the best way to get started? Just print out these three sheets and begin memorizing Scripture for a few minutes each day. You’ll be amazed at the benefits of saturating your mind in His truth!