How I Memorize

A week ago, I recited the book of Titus on Facebook Live. I've had a couple people ask me how I memorize extended passages of Scripture. Actually, one of them asked succinctly, "Method and time it took?" My answer was not nearly as succinct, but I thought I would write a post for anyone else who is curious. This is what has worked for me:

[Edited: As I write longer blog posts on each of these topics, I'll add the hyperlinks]

1. Chunk it

        First, I break it down into smaller sections and then assign a timeline of when to finish it. For the book of James, there were 11 sections, so I did one section per month with the month of December to review.  Granted, some of the sections were longer than others, but it was helpful for me to have a framework and a deadline. For Titus, each chapter was 15 or 16 verses, and I decided to do one chapter a month and finish in three months.

2. Hear it

        This is something new I tried with Titus because it was my first memory project after getting a smart phone. On the free Bible Gateway app, there's an option to listen to a passage. I committed to listen to all of Titus every day for three months. I often did this while washing dishes but sometimes set a 10 minute timer (since Titus is less than 10 minutes) as I went to sleep.  By the time I sat down to start memorizing chapter 3, I had already heard it 60+ times, and the phrasings had become familiar. 

3. Read it 

        This actually isn't a method I use frequently. I'm very much an auditory learner, but it is helpful to combine learning styles -- to read along as I'm listening, to see visually what I'm hearing, to read aloud so that I'm hearing what I'm seeing.

4. Study it

        Studying kind of comes naturally when you're meditating on the same passage over and over. You notice connections and key words that stick out. For example, the words "self-control" and "good works" kept appearing over and over in Titus. It wasn't until the end of learning Titus that I actually read some commentary notes about it, but I was glad I did! Now as I recite it, I think of those added insights. 

5. Pray it

        I like to try to use Scripture when I pray. This helps it move past a discipline or exercise or goal and more into a matter of the heart and a means of connecting with God. As a parent, some of my most frequent prayers are, "Lord, You tell me to ask for wisdom if I lack it. Please show me what to say to my son right now (based on James 1:5)" and "I'm feeling very irritable right now, but love isn't irritable, so please give me Your love (based on 1 Corinthians 13:5)."  One prayer that the book of Titus has prompted me to pray is, "Lord, Paul had Titus as a true child in a common faith. Help me to have people that I can disciple and pour myself into (based on Titus 1:4)."

6. Recite it

        This happens in various forms. When I'm on a walk pulling a wagonload of boys, I'll often recite my verses out loud. Sometimes, I'll recite along with the audio version while doing the dishes. Another form of recitation is having an accountability partner to check in with every other week. She was also learning Titus, and we'd recite our verses to each other. I was surprised how nervous I got, even on a phone call with a like-minded, encouraging friend.  I also recited the whole shebang in a Facebook Live post since I couldn't do it during elementary chapel this year.

7. Write it

        This is one of the first things I do when starting a new section. There have been times that I write the words creatively to help them stick in my brain visually. I've also written on spiral notecards before. The past couple years, I've just written the words in a notebook that I can add piano chords to.  Periodically, I will hand-write the entire passage. This can take awhile, so I don't do it often, but I usually do it at the end of a memory project. It's a great way to catch small errors (like leaving off an "s" at the end of a word).  I think of believers around the Word whose only access to the Bible is the one they've memorized or hand-copied.

8. Type it

        This can line up with writing out the verses. There have been times I've printed out verses and then laminated them so that I can carry them around easily (but in those cases, I just copy and paste from Bible Gateway).  When I started to become serious about Scripture memory, I realized that I had no idea how many verses I actually knew (from all the songs and memory verses and memory projects over the years).  That's when I discovered BibleMemory.com as a way to catalogue my verses and also review them. There is a free app, but you have to input most of your verses on an actual computer.  My newly mastered verses are on a shorter review frequency, but I review all my verses every three months. This helps me retain the verses I've mastered. Once a verse is mastered, I review it by typing the first letter of every other word at 90% accuracy. There are other sites and apps that may work better for you, but frankly, it would be a major headache to try to switch over all my verses to a new platform. As it is, I review some verses every day on either the app or the computer. 

9. SING IT

        This is my FAVORITE way to memorize and retain Scripture. Think of all the song lyrics you can remember from years (decades!) ago. When I decided to tackle Psalm 119, I knew that I would have to incorporate music. I had memorized other long passages but they were hard to both memorize and retain years later. For Titus, I already knew a couple songs in the version I was memorizing, and I found an awesome one on YouTube. To fill in the rest of the gaps, I made up my own songs. I don't pretend to be a masterful singer, songwriter, or pianist, but it has really helped in my memorizing, and it's also a sweet time of fellowship to "sing a new song to the Lord (Psalm 96:1)." And when a Scripture song gets stuck in your head, you're meditating on the Word of God!

10. Share it

        Part of the goal for Scripture memory is for our own refinement and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).  When we store up His Word in our hearts, the Holy Spirit can bring it mind to guide us into all truth (John 16:13) so that we might not sin against God (Psalm 119:11). But another reason we memorize is to share with others. When I'm memorizing a passage, I'm thinking about it and practicing it and rehearsing it, and it often just overflows out of me. Other times, I have to be intentional about opening my mouth to share with others what the Lord has been teaching me through His Word.

Overall, I think it's good to use a combination. Which method do you think works/will work best for you? In my next post, I'll be challenging YOU to commit to memorizing a passage, chapter, or book of the Bible during 2021.