Posted in The Christian Life

Now that everyone has quit reading my blog out of boredom, I've been feeling a real push to write again.

But I'm also the busiest I've ever been in my life. Last week, while my husband was out of town again for a whole week (sub driver routes for a familiar potato chip brand), I only spent six hours total -- other than sleep and preparing to leave for the day -- in my home. I won't go into all the stuff going on, but suffice it to say we are constantly on the go and not because we want to be.

So, I'm spending a lot of time listening to the radio, grabbing an article here and there, and trying to sneak in at least an Oswald Chambers snippet before bed. Even our women's Bible study isn't progressing fast -- we've been on Philippians 3:9 for two months now!

Through all that, I'm learning that Bible memory is a great asset. When I'm facing three deadlines in the next hour, pulling out my Bible is not a good idea. I love reading it, but there are times when the greater witness is to abide by my word to have something done on time! So, as long as my mind isn't engrossed in area computations or finding the angle of the return on a culdesac, I can go over verses in my mind and God can still speak to me.

My mother encouraged us to memorize verses when we were young, and then we had Missionettes (Assemblies of God version of AWANA or spiritual Girl Scouts). Some of those I can still say; then again, some of them I can't! Later, though, I came across a group here in the area (through an aunt from Idaho, no less) called Living Epistles that focuses solely on Scripture memorization. We only went for about six months (unfortunately, they really weren't supportive of having our child around), but the experience has stuck with me for several years now.

During the week, each person would work on memorizing a passage of Scripture of their own choice, sometimes a verse, sometimes a chapter or more. At the next meeting, after worship and prayer, each person would have an opportunity to quote their passage from memory or with help. We kept each other accountable to keep working, and sometimes the correlations between different passages on one night clearly spoke to those in attendance. Or maybe there would be a series of consecutive chapters from the same book. Or the same chapter from different versions. Often a verse chosen by one person would minister to someone else in the room.

A woman told me once that she just couldn't memorize anything, so why even try. I wish I had the answer then that I do now. "Because God said to!" He didn't say it was only for those with good memories or high IQs. Did you know that even Alzheimer's and dementia patients can remember verses, especially if they're put to music? How then do we have any excuse for not memorizing the words of our Lord?

I'm not saying this is a works thing, or that you can't be a Christian without this; I am saying, however, that our witness is more efficient and effective when we put His words in our memories and then allow Him to bring out that one that we need to speak to that one person (who is sometimes even ourself!) who needs to hear that one verse at that very moment.

One of my tactics for memorizing was to write out the passage on one or more 4x6 notecards, and then carry it in my purse or bag or car. Every time I had the chance, I'd say what I had already learned, add another verse or two, then repeat the whole thing to that point several times. As my little one has grown older, I use the same method with her, turning it into her penmanship lesson while she memorizes it for AWANA. She uses all her senses this way and is less likely to forget it, just like me!

Let's look at some verses that talk about memorization of Scripture. In the Old Testament, of course, it was the law they memorized. While we do live under the law of grace now, these truths and precepts are still sound doctrine (the ten commandments are a good example). Proverbs 3:1-3 says "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments... write them upon the table of thine heart." Deuteronomy 6 is fairly well-known by homeschoolers; it's the one about teaching them of God at every hour and every opportunity throughout the day. Psalm 119:11 is familiar to most children; it's David's declaration that the memorization of God's Word is what helped him not to sin -- "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." He says this a few other ways in verses 105 and 129-130. Joel 1:1-3 says to tell our children and let them tell their children of the things God has done in our lives; they have to memorize these things (and their Scriptural foundations) in order to be able to do so.

If you notice, most of these passages and the many others sprinkled all throughout the Bible also include a blessing for doing so, whether that's peace and joy or accountability or just "goooood" (Micah 2:7). One of my favorites says this: "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not  again, but waters the earth and makes it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My Word be that goes out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." How beautiful! God can use my mouth to speak His Words and thus bring life!! -- if I have it in my heart, of course.

We see other passages in the New Testament about the continuing importance of Scripture memorization. The writer of Hebrews, speaking on Jesus' once-only, all-encompassing sacrifice and victory on our behalf, quotes Jeremiah's prophecy of the Messiah: "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them" (Hebrews 10:16) John, in chapter 17, verses 14-17, quotes Jesus' treatise on the heart of the gospel and His prayer to the Father for our sakel; the essence of these four verses here is that knowing His Word will protect us and guide us as we navigate a fallen and misleading world.

One last note ... Amos 8:11-12 says this: "Behold, the days come, says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." Verses 11-14 of that passage have not been fulfilled yet, and I dont' know if we will experience this for ourselves (I'm pretty confident that we will, though), but what if it does? Do we know the Word well enough to trust our memories if and when that time comes? I want to suck up as much as I can so I don't dehydrate from lack of living water!

I encourage you to take your favorite passage, and memorize it word for word. Share it with your children, make up a tune to go with it and sing it in the car and the shower, quote it back to the Lord as a prayer or praise. And then consider joining with a friend or two to encourage each other to do the same. God said His Word would never return void, so every moment spent devouring those precious Words are worthwhile in Kingdom currency!