Reflections on Scripture Memorization
Most spiritual disciplines can be accounted for by the budgeting of your time. Taking time to read your Bible, time to pray, time to witness to other people, but one spiritual discipline stands out from the rest.
This is the discipline of Scripture memorization. It seems that it is easy to remember all sorts of things. I can remember my wife’s cell phone number, countless user names and passwords, and my personal favorite – song lyrics. I have countless songs stuck in my brain from the not-so-fabulous 80’s. Oh, that my brain were a hard drive that I could go in a delete out all the junk and then defragment for extra space. No such luck!
Scripture memorization is so much harder to remember than any of these. Why? I really do not know for sure, but I have an idea. I think it is due to the fact that Scripture is living and active. So it just doesn’t go in peacefully. It goes in cleaning house and the flesh fights against it. In essence, Scripture memory starts a war. A war for the control of your mind. Will you give it to Christ or will you give it over to the enemy?
If you read this, pray for me and pray for my mind. Pray that Christ will raise His flag of possession in my mind and label it as conquered territory. If you like specific prayers – pray that Hebrews 1 would firmly rest in my mind and take a permanent spot there.
To those who are in our small group memorizing Scripture with me, here is my prayer for you:
Most spiritual disciplines can be accounted for by the budgeting of your time. Taking time to read your Bible, time to pray, time to witness to other people, but one spiritual discipline stands out from the rest.
This is the discipline of Scripture memorization. It seems that it is easy to remember all sorts of things. I can remember my wife’s cell phone number, countless user names and passwords, and my personal favorite – song lyrics. I have countless songs stuck in my brain from the not-so-fabulous 80’s. Oh, that my brain were a hard drive that I could go in a delete out all the junk and then defragment for extra space. No such luck!
Scripture memorization is so much harder to remember than any of these. Why? I really do not know for sure, but I have an idea. I think it is due to the fact that Scripture is living and active. So it just doesn’t go in peacefully. It goes in cleaning house and the flesh fights against it. In essence, Scripture memory starts a war. A war for the control of your mind. Will you give it to Christ or will you give it over to the enemy?
If you read this, pray for me and pray for my mind. Pray that Christ will raise His flag of possession in my mind and label it as conquered territory. If you like specific prayers – pray that Hebrews 1 would firmly rest in my mind and take a permanent spot there.
To those who are in our small group memorizing Scripture with me, here is my prayer for you:
May the Lord battle for the renewing of your mind
Sanctifying you through His perfect Word
That you may be holy and blameless
Conformed into the image of Christ Jesus
And equipped for every spiritual battle
Amen!
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Jennifer