Memorize with Your Heart
Ever find yourself saying, “I can’t memorize the Bible…it’s huge…or even verses! What can I do?” Ever wonder why Shakespeare’s writing sounds “sort of familiar?” Few people actually know this, but Shakespeare’s style and method of writing were heavily influenced by…you guessed it…the Bible. There are classic Shakespearian phrases everyone seems to know, e.g. “to be or not to be: that is the question,” “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players,” or “Romeo! Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” How is it we remember these lines? It’s not because we’ve memorized the words, but we recall the imagery they evoke.
We don’t just hear words…we feel and experience them. That is how we remember them. The Bible is not intended to be rote memorized; it is meant to be felt and experienced. The Lord seeks to engage both our hearts and minds: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds…” (Hebrews 10:16). If we follow His instruction, Scripture becomes ours…a part of us and how we live, think, and behave as Christians. Where our hearts and minds are our bodies follow thereafter.
Let’s try this together…sit in a comfortable chair and close your eyes. Relax. Imagine yourself lost in darkness…absolute pitch black…a cold, foreboding, inhospitable darkness. To many of us, this is how life sometimes feels. God’s Word presents a solution. For example, King David used Psalm 119 to teach his son Solomon (later King) the alphabet…but not just for writing. It contains the “alphabet” for living a spiritual life. David offers, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105). Now, imagine God’s Word…in your heart and mind…casting a light like a lamp such that you walk assuredly in your life’s darkness. God’s Word illuminates the dark world for us. If you meditate on this image of God’s Word lighting your path, you will have easily “memorized” Psalm 119:105. How? Because both your heart and mind fully explored the words emotionally, intellectually, and experientially. You didn’t just read them…you felt and experienced them.
JG