There was a time in my life when I didn’t memorize Scripture.
But then a friend challenged me to try it,
And I’ve discovered the surprising way God works in my heart through verses I’ve memorized.
Do you have a story like this?
That’s my fifteen second story about the way God has worked in my life through memorizing verses of the Bible. I could tell you longer stories about how God shifted the focus of my life as I memorized Philippians 3:7-12. Or how memorizing Psalm 100 has filled me with much-needed praise. Or how Zephaniah 3:17 comes to mind so often when my perception of myself trends downward. I’m sure you have similar stories.
Memorizing verses in the Bible is not about getting a gold star. It’s about your earnest desire to let God speak to you through His word.
Bible teacher Beth Moore says that “memorizing Scripture is calcium to your bones and iron to your blood and freedom to your mind and aerobics to your brain and relief to your fears and language to your prayers and honey to your tongue.”
Philosopher Dallas Willard claims that “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization.”
The ancient Hebrew psalmists have discovered that God’s word is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). May the same be true for you.
Happy memorizing!
Your brother in Christ,
Neil Redenbaugh
Adult and Family Pastor