How do I Memorize the Bible?
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. (Psalms 119:11 NKJV)
The Method:
Memorizing the Bible seems like a daunting task. I know people who have memorized entire books of the Bible. We hear stuff like that, and we are amazed. We ask, “How did they do it?” Well, the answer to that question is the same answer you give to someone who asks, “How do you eat a whale?” One bite at a time!
When it comes to the Bible you memorize it a section at a time; usually 5 to 10 verses at a time. Repetition is still the best way to memorize a verse. I know personally that most of the scripture I have memorized is from reading it or listening to it repeatedly. After hearing it so many times it just becomes second nature to quote it. However, there are more efficient ways to purposefully memorize God’s word.
At the beginning of each school year, I make my high school Bible students memorize scripture. I tell them I am going to give you 15 minutes to memorize a 10 verse story in the Bible. Their eyes get wide and I hear a string of excuses as to why that isn’t possible. One student told me, “I was in Awana Clubs for 15 years and there is no way I can do that!” or, “ My brain just doesn’t work like that!” I simply replied, “You must have been using a less effective method. I am confident that every one of you will be able to do it.” And you know what? They do!
This method was developed to teach missionaries how to teach the Bible to illiterate people using the STS (Simply The Story) method, also known as Oral Tradition Teaching. It is an IBS (Inductive Bible Study) approach to teaching God’s word to those who cannot read, or don’t have a written language. Many people have used this method to memorize hundreds of stories. I personally used it to memorize Genesis chapter 1 through chapter 11 so that I could tell the stories to my children.
I was introduced to STS by some folks at MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship.) Pastor Jesse Hurless and I spent a week with them taking their life-changing course. I could feel my brain changing as I practiced this new craft.
Getting Started!
You can start right now! You only need 15 to 20 minutes of time, a Bible, and a quiet place. I recommend starting with a narrative as a story is easier to memorize. Remember before you start, ask God to help you, and speak to you through His word as you memorize and meditate on it.
Open your Bible to the passage you plan to memorize. I recommend a story with about ten verses to start. (The one my students memorize is Acts 16:25-34, The Philippian Jailor.) Read the whole story out loud, Remove the bible from sight, and then Recall out loud whatever you can remember. YOU MUST NOT PEEK! After you have recalled everything you can, Repeat this process. (Read out loud, Remove the Bible from sight, Recall out loud what you can remember, Repeat the process.) It should take about 15 minutes (about 8 to 10 times through the passage) for you to have the story memorized. (Note: you can do it silently if necessary, but many find reading and repeating out loud to be more effective because it engages more of the learning centers of your brain.)
The most important part of this process is to keep yourself from peeking at the text as you recall it. Resist the temptation to go back to see if you got a word right, or to find a word you can’t remember. Be patient and wait for the next reading. You will notice words will jump out at you. Cheating by peeking will derail the process and make your brain lazy. Stretching yourself is what makes this so effective.
After the first few readings, you won’t be able to remember much, that is OK. Don’t give up! As you read it each time your brain will grab information that it missed the previous times. As you continue you will remember more and more information until you have mastered the story. It is that simple.
With this method, you may not have the text memorized perfectly word-for-word at the end of 15 minutes, but you should be able to accurately tell the whole story. In time, as you stretch your brain to grab new information, you will get more and more accurate. You will be mastering passages with perfect precision before you know it.
When you have mastered memorizing a few narratives move on to other types of Bible literature, such as sections in one of the epistles, a short psalm, or a portion of Proverbs. The method is the same, but it may be helpful to memorize 5 verses at a time until you are used to the change. With epistles, words can carry more weight so exactness is more important.
Using this method will rewire your brain and help your memory, but more importantly, it will hide the word of God in your heart. I challenge you to try it out for a week. Every morning take 15 minutes to memorize a new story. Throughout the day try to recall each one you have memorized so far. Practice makes perfect!
Here is the exciting part. Pray for opportunities to tell the story to someone to encourage, teach, or help them. You can start out by saying, “I was thinking about what you said, and it reminded me of a story in the Bible…” Have fun memorizing God’s word. I pray it will change your life!
Be blessed, Pastor Mike Hughes