There’s a popular Catholic hymn that features the words, “take the Word of God with you as you go.”
There are two meanings to this:
1. To savor God’s words from Scripture as if to appreciate them in your heart.
2. To remember particular Bible passages such that you can “recall” them at a moment’s notice during the day.
It’s the latter meaning that I’d like to discuss today. I suspect that most of us have little trouble appreciating various passages from the Bible but do we remember them throughout our day?
Protestant Christians are often taught to memorize Bible passages when they are young. Catholic Christians are not and this is a detriment to them as they get older after all, memorization is not just an academic technique. It can be a spiritual skill as well.
Consider that God makes hundreds of promises in the Bible- wouldn’t you want to remember at least some of those? Or, consider the amazing words of Jesus throughout the New Testament- wouldn’t you want to carry these in the back pocket of your mind so that you can claim them at a moment’s notice?
There are many ways that you and I can become better at remembering God’s words from the Scriptures and here are five of them:
1. Spend some time with your Bible in the first half hour of the day. Don’t just read your Bible but spend time with it. Hold your Bible in your hands (apps are not as effective) and enjoy the habit of morning reading.
2. Use a physical Bible. I know that there are apps (I use them too!) but a Bible in your hand is just better. The touch of the pages activates something in your brain that is very effective for memorization.
3. Read a passage 3-4 times. Then, close your eyes and let the Lord imprint the words on your brain. If you need to read it a 5th or 6th time, give yourself permission to do so.
4. Write it down on paper and carry it with you through the day. Take it out when you are waiting in line at the store. Read it before a meal. Let the crumpling paper sound remind you to read the passage again.
5. Revisit the passage later in the day. This might be at lunchtime or before bed. It’s also important to recall the book (i.e. Matthew), chapter and verse.
While there are printed Bible verses in card-format that you can purchase, these five techniques should do just fine.