Someone recently asked me for some tips for memorizing scripture. This is kind of a pastor’s dream….”Hey, Pastor. I want to memorize Scripture. Can you help me?”  

The book that helped me really start memorizing Scripture was How to Memorize Scripture for Life, by Andrew Davis.  It’s a really short book and gives simple strategies.  The only real modification I made to his approach is that I do not recite the verse numbers as I am reciting the text. I understand why he does it–and it can be really helpful for memorizing big things, like whole books.  But for me, I just preferred to go without.  

Once I learned the pattern, I committed to memorizing the book of Colossians. It’s short (4 chapters), and Paul’s flow of thought is usually pretty easy–and he repeats terms a lot–so I was able to do it.  Once I memorized the whole thing, I then repeated the whole book every day for 30 days straight, per Davis’ suggestion. He said that after you’ve done that, you’ll eventually forget parts of the book, but you’ll never forget the basic structure. That’s true. I can no longer recite the whole thing (I memorized it in 2018), but I can still give you the structure from memory. That’s the only book I’ve memorized in its entirety.  

Something I have found just as enriching is what I’ll call the “Ten Scriptures” method Dave Kraft lays out in Finish Line Leadership. Here’s how it works: pick a passage–anywhere from one verse to several verses–and spend a month committing it to memory. Recite it to yourself, make up a little song, etc. Whatever you need to do.  Then, the next month, add another passage.  Each month, you’ll add another passage until you have ten.  The eleventh month, you’ll add another passage, and the very first passage you memorized rolls off the list.  So, you never have more than ten passages you’re reviewing/reciting to yourself at a time.  For instance, I started this last October. The first passage was Ephesians 2:4-7. In August, that passage rolled off.  Once I hit September, the verses I memorized in November of last year–Hebrews 11:1-3–rolled off.  

This approach has been a Godsend for me.  I recite my passages when I’m driving or walking the dog, etc.  It has made 2025 a year of Scripture meditation unlike any other time in my life–except for perhaps when I was memorizing Colossians.  The advantage of this method is that I’m getting insight from all over Scripture all the time.  Right now, for instance, I have passages from Isaiah, 2 passages from Romans, Matthew, 2 Corinthians, Hebrews, 1 Peter, Philippians, Psalms, and Titus.  I love that.  And if there is something particular I know I need to dwell upon, I put in a passage that deals with that topic the next month.  Another advantage of this method is that you get to know verses–often familiar verses–very well. I have seen so many things I’d never discovered in passages I’ve known for years.  Not because they were “mystical” or “hidden,” but because I had never paid careful enough attention before. This method really forces you to slow down and do that. 

Here’s a bonus great method for Scripture meditation that may also aid in memorization, though it isn’t a “memorization aid” directly.  Take one chapter or one longer passage (at least 10 verses) and read it thirty days in a row (and if you miss a day, just jump back in the next day; no worries). Then, after you’ve read it each day, write down one new observation in a journal.  The key isn’t to ask, “How does this make me feel?” The key is to ask, “What’s in the text?” You can put your observation as something you’ve noticed in the text, a question you have about the text, or a connection to another part of the Bible. So, maybe you’re reading Psalm 23–“The Lord is my shepherd…” A question you might have could be, “Why does David compare the Lord to a shepherd?”  A connection to somewhere else in the Bible might be, “Jesus calls himself the good Shepherd.”  

A couple of years ago, I decided to do this with Psalm 27.  I had read and heard so many testimonies from believers around the world who were living under persecution and suffering, and that Psalm kept coming up, over and over.  So, I thought it would be a good idea for me to investigate it further.  I used the above method. I missed some days, so it probably took me about 35 days to actually get 30 readings under my belt.  It was wonderful.  And, again, the Spirit changed me through that Psalm as I chewed on it day after day.  

In all this, there are a few important things to keep in mind: 

1.) God won’t love you any more or any less based upon how much Scripture you memorize. You don’t earn anything from him, and thankfully you don’t have to!  Jesus is our righteousness, always! 

2.) At the same time, God uses his word to transform us by grace, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray that he sends his Spirit to do just that in your life. Knowing Scripture doesn’t automatically benefit you–I had a professor in college who had taught the Bible as literature for 20 years, and he had zero interest in following Jesus.  But, by God’s grace, he can completely transform our lives through knowing and living by his word. 

3.) Scripture is a gift. True, throughout history, many believers haven’t been able to read (hence, the reason for stained glass windows and statues in many earlier churches–they were 3-D “sermons” for those who were illiterate). And even where people could read, the Bible wasn’t usually available to everyone. What an amazing time and place we live where we have easy access to the Bible, 24/7.  

4.) Understanding the larger general context of the passages you memorize is important so that you don’t memorize a passage and try to apply it the wrong way.  For instance, Philippians 4:13 isn’t about helping us hit a baseball or nailing a sales presentation. Again, you don’t have to get an in-depth commentary. Just read the larger text around the verses and try to get a handle on where the author is going.  If you need help on this, just let me know. 

5.) You can do this.  We memorize things constantly.  How many songs do you know? Book quotes? Movie lines?  I know who knows how many–memorized without my effort. Just lots and lots of repetition.  Same thing here!  So, don’t let yourself get intimidated or think it’s impossible. You can do it! 

6.) Jesus is pleased by your desire to walk in truth!  So, give it a shot!  And yes, it will be hard at times, but everything good is hard at times. And remember: anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you can do it well! 

Grace & Peace,

Brian