Getting to Know You: When and Why Did You Start Memorizing Scripture?

Time Posted on November 11, 2010 User Dakota Lynch

My journey of Scripture memorization started a couple years ago when I read the book "A Call to Die" by David Nasser. This 40 day devotional showed me the importance of memorizing Scripture and challenged me to memorize a couple of verses each week for 40 days. At that point in time, I memorized primarily because I knew I should. It didn't have anything to do with the joy of having it in my heart, because the joy doesn't always come when you are first starting out.

Anyway, I continued memorizing about 6 verses per month for quite some time before meeting some more Scripture enthusiasts (one of them being Phil Walker) who were obviously very passionate about the Word of God. This meeting couldn't have come at a better time, because my own interest in Scripture memory had already begun to grow, due to my personal realization of just how valuable it is to have the Bible in our hearts and minds. Through their words of encouragement, I left with twice the zeal I'd had before and joined MemVerse in a matter of a few days at their advice. Seven months later, I'm still here and plan to stick around as long as I continue to memorize the Bible (i.e. forever!).

So, what's your story? How long have you been memorizing, and what prompted you to start?


Tag getting to know you

22 responses to Getting to Know You: When and Why Did You Start Memorizing Scripture?

37220ada00b70a9afe447fc27e2a192b?d=wavatar
Georgette Galvin

I started memorizing Scripture after I read the book by Gerry Bridges, "Pursit of Holiness." In it he encourged the reader to start memorizing Scripture. He said how he started memorizing using the Navigators' Scripture Memory Course. So I bought it and I was on my way. I too started with two verses a week. I was amazed how I could memorize so much. I never thought I could. Then Trish Rhoeds encouraged people through an email to memorize the Sermon on the Mount for 2010, so here I am. I am thrilled to have God's word in my mind. It gives me confidence, strength, and hope.
Thank you Memverse for all you do.

98f295de3e93ce4f6e513a9508c39203?d=wavatar
River La Belle

I've been memorizing Scripture all my life, being a Pastor's kid; but what really sparked my desire to go FORWARD in my memorization was the 2010 National Bible Bee. Being a part of this phenomenally life-changing event really brought me MUCH closer to God. I can't communicate via pixels the joy that it gives me, having His Word in my heart to recall to memory whenever the need arises. . . and even when it doesn't! The Scriptures are fit for every occasion. Eph. 4.29 I'm sure all of you know exactly how I feel. :)

I will say this, seeing as Andy is known for his humility, :) I would not have HALF of the verses memorized that I do now, including what I memorized in the Bible Bee, if it weren't for MemVerse. I'm increasingly realizing what a blessing this tool is. Keep up the good work Andy!!!

Dakota, this is a great post!! I don't know why I didn't think of it myself!

Georgette, I'm glad that you got a hold of that wonderful book, "The Pursuit of Holiness"! May God bless you as you continue to "store up his word in your heart." (And you too, Dakota!!) (And Andy!)

0922945c135e83b03ed1ede1fa64de16?d=wavatar
Christopher Pearson

I have been memorizing Scripture since (about) 2004...and wish I had started in '99 when I became a believer. I started doing books (Jude, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Peter, Ephesians), but backed off when it became too much to review. I now do more chapters and chunks of verses. I cannot overemphasize the power of memorization!

Aa3083fed6f9fa74c508dc692bbcc3e2?d=wavatar
Nathan

I have memorized all my life also but started getting passionate about it after I was saved. Memory skills by Brad Voeller also helped me to be able to memorize, I thought What is there better to memorize than the Lord's word to us? Also IBLP and James Staddon caused me to grow a lot in my Spiritual life.

379435299ee5f4099f9e2a3fd8352aa7?d=wavatar
Talia "StoryMaker"

Though I may have memorized a few temporarily for Sunday School and such, I'd have to say the 2009 Bible Bee was the first time I'd memorized any significant amounts of verses. After that, however, I mostly forgot about memorizing scripture until a few months before the 2010 Bible Bee released the verses it was using. That was around when my Mom introduced me to MemVerse. The first thing I ever put into MemVerse was Psalm 23, and since then I put in a lot of Bible Bee verses (as well as some other verses) and have been on it almost every day. It's really worthwhile, and it's easy to remember and do. I am very grateful for this site!

A5add584fd0f556712d9e039c68fa698?d=wavatar
Andy

I started memorizing in earnest the day after I finished the first (very buggy!) version of Memverse on May 1st, 2009 :)

I'd always made token attempts to memorize parts of the bible but I'd never found a method that worked well for me. When I realized how much time I spend in front of a computer, I decided that if one could have abs of steel in 6 mins one could memorize big chunks of the bible in about the same amount of time.

I've been meaning to write a blog post on this topic for some time so I'll start it here:

I believe that despite postmodern claims to the contrary, there is a need to distill truth out of the sea of information. (Hence NPR's "This I Believe", Starbucks' "The Way I See It" cups and a host of other similar phenomena.) In 1450 we selected what was valuable and printed it. Today we commit what is valuable to memory. Yes, the Bible is instantly accessible on the web and in print, but by extracting it from the dog pile of data we transform it from information to knowledge, understanding and eventually wisdom.

It is almost impossible to exaggerate the difference between information on a page and the word of truth lodged in our mind. For me, memorizing is a process of turning down the deafening din of the information explosion so that I can hear clearly: "I am still the Word".

F8e247950580a56936c0af707888037a?d=wavatar
Rebecca King

I started memorizing as a young child with my parents in family devotions. We would take turns picking out the verse of the week and then all memorize it. Then we would also review past verses and I remember I always thought it was great fun getting to make my Father or Mother review memory verses just as they reviewed me.

I quit memorizing verses for many years although I knew that I should keep memorizing - it always seemed like too much work. But the Lord brought me to a personal spiritual revival about 1994 and His Word started having new meaning for me and I began to "hunger and thirst" after it. Then in 1997 He put the thought into my mind again - why not memorize? The first thing I memorized (with my husband) was Psalm 139. Then the next passage of scripture (in 1998) was Matthew 5 and the beatitudes as well as some other verses. From there it just exploded and I began to memorize more and more passages as well as both of the Navigators sets of verses. Then I decided to memorize books of the NT and I started with 1 John and then 1 Peter. I still review both of those books every two weeks and love to say them -- they are such a great encouragement to me! I also review the books of Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians as well as Psalm 139 and other passages of scripture every two weeks as well as on Memverse. God's word is alive and living and powerful! Some of the best parts of my day are when I am reviewing His word in my mind.

Facdb8b83fec135de0f7a527429589b3?d=wavatar
Josh

I didn't start memorizing consistently until a few months ago, when I found this link. I have tried on and off to commit to doing what I know I've NEEDED to, but I had trouble establishing the habit. That's why when I teach our K-1 Sunday School class at church I am so glad these children are starting early. It may simply be memorization before they are saved, but they will still find wisdom in the Word - and they're establishing the habit. Later, as some come to know the Lord, they will understand the truly priceless treasure they've hidden.

It is an absolute necessity to hide God's Word in our hearts. It is how we fight sin, find comfort, and obey the Lord's command to meditate on it day and night, teaching it and talking about it everywhere we go. I think the knowledge of this is present in most Christians' minds, it's the commitment that is lacking. Praise the Lord for Memverse helping so many people to stay diligent. Let's pray for all the saints that they would not just "know" the Word, but apply it.

4de28d62382484589dfa7709703c3033?d=wavatar
Laurel

I first started memorizing individual verses when I homeschooled my kids. But just a few here and there and not very consistantly.

Then September 2007 I was at a seminar with my sister-in-law and the speaker talked about a couple verses in James, but especially "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you." Well, I wanted that one in context, so I studied the previous verses a bit and realized the only way to truly get the context was to memorize the entire book.

When I finished, it was such a fabulous feeling and so much easier than I thought it would be I decided to memorize Galatians. Next was all of the words of Christ; but the closer I got to the end of Matthew, I again realized I needed the context and ended up memorizing the whole of the last few chapters. Then I started on Mark, and part way through chapter 4 is when Phil invited me to join MemVerse, and it's only been getting easier since!

One thing I want to encourage is reading your Bible from Genesis to The Revelation as often as possible. The whole thing is relevant, and the more I memorize the easier it gets because it all ties together; but I don't think it comes as easily if you don't have that big picture.

Thanks again, Andy. And keep up the good work everybody! :) Every verse counts!!!

563d64f818c863649c6f43983a7daeca?d=wavatar
Dakota Lynch

That's amazing, Laurel! I wish you all the best!

1ce8af14e0f80df560c2912311d4fa67?d=wavatar
Barak Lundberg

I started memorizing scripture as a child but at that time it was for the rewards I got from my parents and others. Around the age of 13-14 the Word of God became much more precious. It is the most precious thing God has given us.

I remember reading a book of a christian pastor in Romania who was in prison during communism but found a Bible. He knew that it was only a matter of time before it was found and confiscated so he committed to memory 40 chapters before it was taken.

That book really became a motivation to memorize scripture. And over the last ten years or so I've several chapters but I had no system for review so I would just move on to the next section to memorize.

Memverse has been a great tool for connecting the different sections.

C42a2caff93b76726809928af969844b?d=wavatar
Lee Jinks

About 6 years ago a young woman in our church quoted the book of James. God pricked my heart at that time to memorized a book of the bible. It took me three years to get started, but I have been trying to memorized the book of Romans for the past three years now. As you can imagine there have been some setbacks (memorizing one verse a day, I would have been complete a long time ago). God has allowed me to make some progress, but it's what God has been teaching me through this journey that is so valuable.

I came across Memverse at the beginning of this year. Since then I have added many non-Romans verses to my memorization schedule. I tell everyone I can about Memverse because I think memorizing scripture is so important and Memverse is an effective tool that keeps me going.

933103d823f3e4790030dfcb3fea7115?d=wavatar
Angela

I have memorized small portions of Scripture before, but I really set on fire when I was in the 2010 Bible Bee this year (I was in 2009, but didn't really try). Now that it's over, I'm excited to start memorizing and studying the Bible using what I've learned! And with the help of Daniel Staddons' book (which he gave me at the Bible Bee! Thank you again very much!), I hope to try out his method of memorization, review, and meditation.

Memverse has been a great addition to the Bible Bee and my memorizing in general because it helps me keep track of all the verses I've memorized. (I frequently memorize something in my Bible, and then forget about it!) Thank you for this helpful resource!

(This is not my picture; I'm using my dad's e-mail address!)

5c3d80d9bf04a645711fc934afb54a80?d=wavatar
ZachB

through several programs:

Bible Bee
Awana
Mom and Dad (of course)

5c3d80d9bf04a645711fc934afb54a80?d=wavatar
ZachB

...and at 6 years old

E722bfd45297b0c0558ed8ed53593094?d=wavatar
Alex Watt

I started memorizing with AWANA when I was about 10 years old. Since then, have also been involved in Bible Quizzing and the Bible Bee.

Now I memorize (at least I think I do) mainly because I want to know God and serve him better, and be more able to serve others (both the lost and the church, both of which need God's Word). When I first started memorizing, it was about the AWANA bucks or the awards, and while I am still not solely motivated for the right reasons, God has been shifting the focus to Himself.

Memorizing Scripture is one of the most rewarding activities for Christians to grow. This Bible Bee was extremely wonderful for me. It is exciting to see new connections in God's Word and grow in your faith. Keep memorizing! And ask God that he would help us all to persevere and do it for Him.

F7bad599ee7a031e1bef21f4b4dd5409?d=wavatar
Clara K.

I started memorizing with the 2010 Bible Bee. BTW, who here is doing Bible Bee?

F7bad599ee7a031e1bef21f4b4dd5409?d=wavatar
Clara K.

@ Alex: I do Bible Quizzing, too!!

C463494e50b4898d9130318781821cbb?d=wavatar
Sarah

I started memorizing around the time I learned to read at age three. (I have a photographic memory so I couldn't really help it.) At five I put together a little binder of memory verses, mostly from church programs. And then I did the Bible Bee in 2009 and 2011, going to Nationals both times, and Bible quizzing in 2010.

Bdf282b8f7b74de16da43c5e0c454d5a?d=wavatar
Ianator

I started memorizing when I signed up for the National Bible Bee last year. I thought it would be fun and a great way to start memorizing God's Word.

509c550001a42a510ee601bfefa3e9d6?d=wavatar
Isaac

I have been memorizing for a long time because my mom did it at breakfast with me and my brothers

8f63d3592d3d5e63be261fd975c02de5?d=wavatar
Dusti Rose

I started memorizing after reading "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard. Our church was going through some major problems, but I found when I was too upset to read through whole chapters of scripture I could calm myself back down by focusing on memorizing one or two verses. Memverse has really helped me with consistency and challenging me to push myself to memorize more.


Trans