If you have a desire to memorize Scripture how do you go about it? You may have doubts about your ability to do this. While there are some who memorize more easily than others, I am convinced that anyone can improve their memorization skills if they just keep at it. I know that over 8 years of consistent memorization, my abilities have improved. And please do not forget God in this. The Lord wants you to know his word and cherish his word in your heart. He will work in you to help you with this.

The Internet has an endless stream of advice on how to memorize and I could link to several sites. I won’t do that because I know from working with other people that each one finds their own method. We are all individuals with different learning styles and capabilities. I can only speak of my own experience and what has worked for me so please don’t think you need to copy me.

The woman who inspired me was Janet Pope. She wrote a book called His Word in My Heart. I heard Janet interviewed on Revive Our Hearts and was encouraged by her method. Basically, she suggests recapturing those moments of our day when we are doing repetitive tasks and instead use them to memorize Scripture.

Folding laundry, doing dishes, drying your hair, taking a shower, waiting in line at the store, waiting in the doctor’s office, waiting in carpool, etc. These are all moments we can recapture and repurpose for hiding God’s word.

In her book, Janet suggests starting small by memorizing Psalm 1. It’s only 6 verses. But I like a challenge so when I heard that Janet had memorized whole books of the Bible, I thought I’d start with a book, albeit a small one. I started with Jude. Only 25 verses. I started writing each verse on an index card and gradually added verses until I had the whole book.

The real key that unlocked the door though was developing the habit of taking those daily moments and repurposing them for memorization. That helped me to consistently review what I had already memorized so I wouldn’t lose it.

Do I do this perfectly? No. That’s not the goal. The goal is to transform and renew my mind and affections so I can know and love God more. Next time I will describe in greater detail that transformation.

For now, please watch this video of Janet Pope.