4 Reasons Scripture Memory is Absolutely Critical to Your Walk with Christ

What if I were to tell you that I have a friend who has memorized Psalm 119--the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses?

          What if I were to tell you that that same friend has memorized the book of Ephesians?

          And the books of 1 Peter, 1 & 2 Timothy, Philippians, Colossians, Obadiah, Jonah, and Nahum.

          Not to mention the first fifteen chapters of John and the first ten chapters of Romans.
          I don't even have time to list out all that she's memorized.

          And what if I were to tell you that THIS SAME FRIEND is with us today on the blog to talk about why Scripture memory is important?

          If anyone knows anything about memorization, it’s her.

          Let me present my friend Dani to you. She just turned eighteen and lives in Alaska. She is also the founder of A Hoe In My Hand—a wonderful magazine for girls. I just received it today and loved it!

          I have long been wanting to write a post about memorizing verses because it has absolutely changed my life and has been huge in my walk with Christ.

          So I am thrilled to share an interview I held with Dani that will help you understand why Scripture memory is CRITICAL for you, and she even shared her tips and tricks for how she has memorized so much of the Bible before finishing high school in this post.

          Let’s get started then, shall we?

Glad to have you on Morning Glory, Dani! So glad to have the opportunity to pick your brain about Scripture memory. I have a big question for you: When we can just google any verse, why does it matter that we memorize them?

          “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) Not “googled it on my smartphone”, but “hidden it in my heart.” And that helps us not sin! How great is that?

1. Memorizing Scripture puts it directly into your head. 

          When you’ve been memorizing a passage, it will play through your head, influence your actions. It will be something you’re actively dwelling on. Psalm 1 says that the man who meditates on God’s law is blessed, but you can’t meditate on it if you don’t know it.

          “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8) When God’s word is there in your head, when it is on a live feed in your mind, you won’t be nearly as likely to act against it! It will always be there, strengthening the prompting of the Holy Spirit on your conscience!

2. Scripture is POWERFUL

          The word of the Lord is proven (Psalm 18:30). You can always trust it. It is the instruction manual for all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is given that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).

          “For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Scripture is POWERFUL. There is no greater weapon you can wield against the attacks of Satan. (Ephesians 6:17) The voice that created the world, breathed the breath of life into man, and healed the sickness and sins of many also wove the beautiful tapestry of words that we call the Bible. Only those words have the power to break the chains of sin and death. When you memorize them, they are in you, and you can pour them out to those around you!

3. The Word of God should be our treasure

          David, the man after God’s own heart, loved the Word of the Lord, meditated on His law. Also, the writer of Psalm 119 loved the Word of God, and Psalm 119 illustrates that vividly. Just go and read the whole thing attentively. It is a love song about the Word of God! Shouldn’t we all desire to ‘be after God’s own heart’? Shouldn’t we all love Scripture in that way? When you love someone or something, you will have their every detail memorized. How much more should we treasure and memorize the Word of God?

4. Scripture is eternal

          “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will be no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) Scripture is the only thing given to us on this earth that will be enduring. Treasure it up, put your effort into it – everything else will be worthless in the end.

          When you have scripture memorized, it will always be there for you to use, while Google might not always be. I often think about the persecuted Christians both in the past and present who didn’t have the written Word directly available to them, but had huge portions memorized, and so were still comforted through the Scriptures, able to share the light of the gospel with those around them, and still growing through the nurture of His Word. That benefit was one that was pointed out to me by my Sunday School teacher back when I was 10 years old, and it has stuck!

          “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) 
          God’s Words are so much better than any other words we could have in our minds! Why would you even want something else there?

Dani is an Alaskan MK who loves the Lord with all her heart. A large part of her childhood has been spent competitively memorizing Scripture through the National Bible Bee. She has seen the immense blessing of the Lord in her life through it, and wants to share that blessing with others in whatever way possible. In her spare time, she does school, learns languages, and practices piano, violin, viola, or various other instruments. She also heads up a team of girls that publish A Hoe In My Hand magazine.

 

          Thanks so much for your wonderful words of wisdom, Dani! I think you can tell that her mind is full of Scripture by just how many verses she referenced! Check this post for tips and tricks for HOW to memorize the Word of God. And don't forget to check out A Hoe in My Hand!

Until then, let's chat girls! Do you memorize Scripture? Why do you memorize? What have been the greatest benefits of Scripture memory? Share in the comments!