How many verses of Scripture do you know “by heart”? I knew plenty when I was a kid because the children’s ministry program at my church focused on memorization. Those words—or at least the concepts—are still there, stored in a back drawer of my memory banks, providing me with a vocabulary for prayer and comfort in my time of trouble (see 2 Cor. 1:4).
I grew up memorizing Scripture, but the only prize was gold stars on a chart or candy bars at summer camp from a smart counselor who would bribe us to learn required verses. These days, it appears the stakes are higher. A recent Chicago Tribune article highlighted a “Bible drill” where students had to recite verses from memory in a contest modeled after the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Winners in each age group walked away with $50,000. (Click here to read the article.)
Reading the article got me thinking about Scripture memory and the fact that being required to memorize was actually quite a gift to me. “Thy Word I have hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Ps. 119:11, KJV) was one which provided an important rationale for this practice. Knowing what the Bible says can often provide words for the voice of our conscience, keeping us from following our own sinful nature. As the Bible itself says, when we memorize, it helps us resist the temptation to sin.
As spiritual disciplines go, Scripture memory is not so nearly as popular as prayer or Bible study, not so intriguing as solitude or fasting. It is overlooked, deemed too difficult or worse, unnecessary in this day of computer Bible search engines that can put our finger on a verse with just a keyword or two.
But knowing a verse just to know it, to win a contest, or to be able to find it quickly in the Bible is not the reason to memorize. Many of us lead children and give them memory verses to learn. But do we practice what we preach? Do we memorize? It’s one thing to know verses you memorized as a child—but do you memorize new verses? Do you continue to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2)? What could be better than transforming our thinking by filling our minds with God’s truth?
Memorizing Scripture enhances our ability to hear God through our thoughts. He can bring to mind verses and we can recognize these thoughts as his Word. He can whisper sweet words of comfort: “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20) or “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). Looking it up is just not the same as having it come to your mind and heart in a moment of struggle or temptation.
Scripture memory is a practice that will feed our souls, but it also help us as we minister to children. Our encounters with kids are inevitably punctuated by questions: Why? What? Who? How?
We don’t always have answers. But if we make a regular habit of memorizing Scripture, we’ll at least know what God says about certain topics. We’ll be able to point kids not just to our own feeble opinions, but to what the Word says. He’ll give us wisdom (see James 1:5). Beyond just having answers for them, we’ll model what we are asking them to do.
My friend Kaye has never been in a memory contest but has memorized hundreds of verses. She often puts the words of Scripture to the tunes of familiar songs to help her remember them. I find writing verses on index cards and looking at them throughout my day helps me memorize them. Try these methods or find another technique that works for you.
Whether or not you teach children to memorize Scripture, making it a habit in your own life will feed your soul, allowing you access to the “life to the full” that Jesus promised (John 10:10).
Through her writing and speaking, Keri Wyatt Kent helps people connect authentically with God and be spiritually transformed. She is a sought-after speaker and author of eight book including Deeper into the Word: Reflections on 100 New Testament Words (Bethany House, Jan. 2011). Learn more about her ministry at keriwyattkent.com.
Unless otherwise indicated, the Bible verses in For Your Soul are from the New International Version.
