The Rock, the Tree, and the River
In his book on sanctification, entitled An Infinite Journey, author Andrew Davis uses the compelling illustration of the effect a river has on a rock to explain the effect God’s Word has on our minds. Davis writes, “A hundred years of river water gently flowing over the surface of the forest rock, carrying small granules of sand…would transform that jagged rock, and make it smooth and shiny… So it is with the transformation of a Christian from immaturity to maturity… Transformation only comes by immersing the mind in the word of God, allowing it to wash over our thoughts, until gradually we have learned to think as Christ does.”
What a profound image of the refining effect scripture has on us! Transformation in the Christian life is nothing less than the result of a mind that is steeped in scripture. But this picture isn’t only profound—it’s also richly biblical. Psalm 1:1-3 declares, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he prospers.” Again, the picture is clear: a life that is nourished by the word of God will flourish in the world of God. And if this is true, it means that one of the most important spiritual disciplines of the Christian life is scripture memorization. Why? Because scripture memorization is the clearest way a Christian can continually place their mind under the rushing water of God’s life-giving Word! But what are the specific rewards of scripture memory in the life of a Christian? And how does the practice of scripture memorization become not just a pleasant idea but a practiced reality? These are the two key questions we will explore together. As we do, may the Holy Spirit give you a hunger for God’s Word and the discipline to memorize God’s Word so that your mind might become a smooth stone under life-giving water!
Why Memorize Scripture?
Before we think through how to practically implement scripture memorization in our lives, we must be captured by a vision of why this spiritual discipline is so vital in the everyday life of a Christian. Below are three practical reasons why scripture memorization is a treasure to be cherished, that I have called “the three R’s of scripture memorization:” how we renew our minds, how we remember what’s true, and how we resist our sin.
First, memorizing scripture is how we renew our minds. In Romans 12:2 Paul places a particular importance on the need for our minds to be renewed if we want to resist the world’s conforming nature: “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The reality these verses are teaching us is that we will always be formed by something—either the instruction, values, and lifestyle of this world, or the instruction, values, and lifestyle of God’s kingdom. But here’s the rub: we are constantly being formed by the world around us. Make no mistake—with every billboard we drive past, every commercial we watch, every top-100 song we hear on the radio, every thumb swipe on our phones, and every workplace conversation we have—our minds are being taught what to believe, value, and love. If this is true, and we are being taught by the world for the majority of our day, how important is it to be refreshed in the truth of God’s Word, not just for ten minutes in the morning, but throughout our day, as we toss a memorized verse over and over in our minds, and reflect on God’s instruction rather than the world’s instruction? The old theologians used to teach their people the importance of “thinking God’s thoughts after him”, that is, thinking in ways that are in line with God’s revealed wisdom in scripture rather than the wisdom of the world. The natural drift in our culture today is not to think God’s thoughts after him, but to think the world’s thoughts after it. We desperately need renewed minds if we want to truly flourish in the Christian life, and what better way to practice the renewing of your mind than by soaking in the truths of scripture throughout your day!
Second, memorizing Scripture is how we remember what’s true. One thing that has been true about God’s people since the beginning of creation is this: we are prone to forget who God is and what he has done. In the everyday minutia of life it becomes frighteningly easy to function as though God is not a present reality in our lives. This is why Moses’ frequent charge to the nation of Israel as they came out of Egypt and were standing on the precipice of the promised land was to remember. Four times in Deuteronomy, Moses charges the people to remember who God is and what he has done (Deuteronomy 8:2, 18; 9:7, 27). The danger was not so much that the nation of Israel would literally forget that God existed… The danger was that the nation of Israel would forget God by living and acting as if God was less real or important than the idols, temptations, false gods, and hardships around them. Sound familiar? So in light of this danger, what was Moses’ God-given instruction to the people of Israel? To consistently dwell on the Word of God! Hear Moses’ charge to Israel, and think about its relevance to our life: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart… you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:6, 8-9). The Word of God was to be over, around, and in front of them at all times. On their hands. In front of their eyes. On the doors of their homes as they left and returned. Our minds are still prone to forget the reality of God and be transfixed by the temporary, the immediate, and the visible. If we have any hope of remembering the unchanging, life-giving, sanctifying, reality-shifting truths of who God is, what he has done, and what he has promised us, we must have the Word of God before us at all times. And to have the Word of God before us at all times, we must memorize it.
Lastly, memorizing Scripture is how we resist our sin. It is vital to recognize that memorizing God’s Word is the most powerful way to resist the sin that is around us and in us. In Psalm 119, a love letter to the Word of God, David proclaims, “I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). What a beautiful promise from God’s Word! As we store up the Word of God in our hearts, sin loses its terrible grip on us! However, this is only great news if we look sin squarely in the face and recognize just how destructive it is. Sin is the ground zero for every bit of corruption, brokenness, and perversion in our world. Sin is the chasm-creator that separates us from the God who made us to be in relationship with him. But most importantly, sin is a horrible affront to the holiness, wisdom, purity, goodness, and glory of God. Genuine Christians crave for God to be glorified, honored, revered, and exalted. Sin does the opposite, bringing glory to lesser things, while honoring, revering, and exalting ourselves. Christian, do you want to experience the joys of obedience to God? Do you want to experience healing and restoration in a world ravaged by sin? Most importantly, do you want God to receive the glory, honor, and worship he deserves? Then memorize scripture, store up God’s Word in your heart, and receive the only weapon that can effectively battle against sin!
Where Do I Start? Three Quick Tips
My hope is that the passages in God’s Word that we explored above were fruitful in convincing you that scripture memorization is a vital discipline. But how do you get started? Here are three quick tips to launch you into the joys of scripture memorization.
First, prepare with prayer. Ultimately, only lovers of God’s Word will endure in memorizing God’s Word. God’s Word must become sweet to you before you are willing to memorize it. And God’s Word can only become sweet to you if the Holy Spirit stirs up your affections for God’s Word. So before anything else, pray that the Spirit of God would make the Word of God desirable to you. Beg him to give you a fire to know, store up, and enjoy the Word of God. This will likely not be a one-time prayer, but a prayer throughout your Christian journey. Prepare with prayer, and place yourself in a position to be changed by the Spirit.
But after you prepare with prayer, where do you begin? The next step is to map out a method. Having an intentional plan of how you’ll memorize, where you’ll memorize, and when you’ll memorize will help you turn what is theoretical into what is practical. Here are three personal things I have found helpful for me.
First, I have found it helpful to simply make scripture memory a part of my daily devotional routine that is already established. By adding only about 5 to 10 minutes to my current routine, I have been shocked by how much I am able to memorize. At the exact same time, this also guarantees that I am slowing down enough to meditate on the Word of God each day! Consider if you can “stack” a habit of memorization onto the daily spiritual habits that you have already established!
Second, there are numerous scripture memory apps that aid you in memorizing God’s Word. I have been particularly blessed by an app called Verses for a few reasons. It ensures that I can carry the passages I’m working on with me everywhere. It provides several different tools to help with memorization. It tracks my progress so I can see how I’m doing. And as if all of that wasn’t enough, it also has a feature where I can memorize with friends for accountability! Consider if a tool like this could be helpful for you.
Finally, Andrew Davis’ e-booklet, entitled An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture, has been a very helpful guide to me. It is worth a half hour of your time as you think through how to practice scripture memorization in your own life!
However, when it comes to practicing scripture memorization, perhaps the most important to remember is this: rejoice in resilience. The hard truth is there is no “silver bullet method” to scripture memorization. In the end, like all things that are worth doing, it requires faithfulness, consistency, and endurance. But here is the sweet thing about the spiritual disciplines: you win simply by showing up! There will be days where the “tyranny of the urgent” crowds out what is important (this is a phrase I first heard used by Christian author Charles E. Hummel). There will be days when you wonder if memorizing scripture is worth it. There will be days when you are more distracted than you are focused. But when you face days like these, remember that the sweetest habits develop us over time, require patience, and slowly shape us into the image of Jesus. And amidst the failures and frustrations, always keep the vision in front of you: a life that looks ever more like Christ because your mind has been continually placed under the transforming waters of God’s Word.