Committed to Memory

I'm about one-quarter of the way through my list of 100 Bible passages I'm trying to commit to memory this year. It's been a really rewarding experience, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't start this sooner. There's something really good about trying to memorize a couple of sets of verses each week, for if there were ever anything worth mulling over and meditating on, it is God's Word.

From a human standpoint, I have been decidedly mediocre at this task. The verses that seem to stick are ones that I had previously memorized or had some familiarity with. If a passage was unfamiliar or more than a couple of sentences, I might go a whole week with it and still not be able to recite it. Hopefully, if I can make this an annual exercise, more will stick.

But the point of all this, of course, is deeper than memorization for memorization's sake, as if I were a starving actor trying desperately to learn his lines. The Bible is what I have chosen to be my life instruction book. Knowing some pieces of it by heart is good for my soul, good for instructing others, good for recalling what is true in moments where truth is desperately needed.

I close by commending the exercise to you as well. And, having just found a nice booklet to assist in this effort, I commend it to you as well, referred to me from the Desiring God blog: "An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture," by Dr. Andrew Davis.