“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.” Psalm 92:12
Last year, Dusty and I saw some beautiful redwoods in California. They are as majestic as this picture suggests. They thrive for hundreds of years, like the cedars of Lebanon mentioned in Psalm 92.
As the years go by, I desire more than ever to know God and to grow and flourish like these trees. Psalm 92:14 continues this illustration, describing the righteous by saying, “They still bear fruit in old age, they are fresh and green.” This sounds good to me!
As I’ve thought about these verses, I also see the difference between God’s wisdom in the Bible and my own. It’s too easy to default to my feelings or react with what seems like common sense in the moment. Memorizing God’s Word is one great way to meditate on Him and His truth, which leads to spiritual life and vibrancy.
Memorizing can feel daunting, especially when it sometimes feels challenging to remember where I’ve parked the car while shopping.
However, over the past year, I’ve been working at it. Some passages have been easier to learn than others, but a few things have helped tremendously.
First, accountability helps. This past year, the ladies from our church care group, as well as another study I’m involved in, committed to memorizing passages of Scripture. I’m so thankful for friends to recite verses with and deadlines.
Second, try different strategies. Some that have helped me are:
- Saying the verses out loud
- Typing them on the computer
- Using mnemonic devices (such as memorizing the first letter of each word in the verse)
- Color-coding words
- Singing Scripture and
- Practicing on apps like Versify.
Lastly, if you want to memorize more, I highly recommend watching this interview with Josh Summers and Susan Heck. Heck has memorized the entire New Testament. Along with sharing her memory methods, she gives hope. To be sure, her success is the result of hard work, discipline, and intentionality. But what stood out to me is that these things can be duplicated!
Proverbs 3:18 says that wisdom is “a tree of life to those who lay hold of her.” Memorizing Scripture is one way to keep God and His wisdom at the forefront of our hearts and minds. By His grace, as we practice this, we’ll experience growth like these strong trees and be able to share that life with others.
Great tips for memorizing verses! Remember you teaching some of these strategies growing up.