Tips for Scripture Memory

by Brittany S.
from Virtuous Daughters, August 2009~Volume 9, Number 5

As a young child, I memorized portions of Scripture here and there—anywhere from verses to chapters. As I grew older, I continued to memorize chapters on occasion. But I wasn’t memorizing Scripture consistently until several months ago—I was memorizing the book of First Timothy when the study material for the National Bible Bee became available. I was enrolled and decided to post-pone my memorization of 1 Timothy. :)

Mid-May, I commenced the quest of memorizing the over 1,800 Bible verses incorporated in the Bible Bee study material. It has by no means proved to be an insurmountable task, but admittedly, sometimes the thought of memorizing so much Scripture can be overwhelming. I have found that if I pray before I work on a passage, I am better able to memorize it. Some other strategies that have helped me are the following:

1. Thinking of a way I can apply the passage to my life.
2. Associating that passage with someone I know. Certain passages remind me of certain people because of incidents associated with them, etc.
3. Studying in a clean atmosphere. It may sound strange, but I can think clearer, and therefore memorize better, when I am in a clean room. :)
4. Studying late morning to mid-afternoon. These are the best times for me to memorize. You may have a certain time you can memorize Scripture most effectively.
5. Setting long-term goals. (i.e. I need to have category 2 of the Bible Bee Scriptures memorized by the end of this month, July. This helps me have a reasonable idea of how many passages I need to memorize each day.)

  
These are just some practical ideas that have helped me. Something else that is important is that I do not have any sin hindering my memorization. If I know I have other duties I have left undone, I feel guilty and it is difficult to memorize my passages. My dad has encouraged me to remember I am a daughter and a sister and I need to keep my priorities straight while memorizing for the Bible Bee. My mom has encouraged me to maintain an eternal focus and depend on the Lord’s strength, not my own, to memorize Scripture. She has told me to give my fears to the Lord and remember that His strength is needed to memorize the passages. We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us.
  
“But continue thou in the things which thou has learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”—2 Timothy 3:14-15 How grateful we will one day be as wives and mothers for the valuable time we spent in our youth writing God’s indelible Word on the tablets of our heart.