Day 17: Say it out loud {Tools for memorizing}
TO MEMORIZE
2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Isaiah 12:2-3 (ESV)
2 “B, G i m s; I w t, a w n b a; f t L G i m s a m s, a h h b m s.”
3 W j y w d w f t w o s.
TO REVIEW
1 You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.”
Isaiah 12:1 (ESV)1 Y w s i t d: “I w g t t y, O L, f t y w a w m, y a t a, t y m c m.”
TO DO
1. Say it out loud.
Use the weekend to practice saying all your verses out loud to at least one other person. It’s beneficial to ask for help from others—for your own sake as well as theirs. It’s one way we can encourage each other in this oft-neglected and underrated spiritual discipline.
2. Get next week’s verses ready.
Do your prep work now for Monday. It’s much easier to start fresh on Monday morning if you have your verses already sitting out, ready for you, than if you have to track something down and go print something out.
If you’re memorizing Isaiah 12 with us, we’ll start Isaiah 12:4-5 on Monday. . And 3×5 cards are here. Or if you prefer one verse at a time, do that! I typically prefer only one new verse per week, but since we’re on a “31 Days” schedule for October, we’ll be doing two more verses next week.
TODAY’S TIP
* Read books on scripture memory.
One of my favorites is Janet Pope’s His Word in My Heart. Janet has been memorizing scripture for decades, and wrote this book to explain both why and how she does it. It’s easy to read and easy to follow. (My book review of it here.) Even if you’ve been memorizing for decades yourself, it’s still encouraging to hear from others who are also doing it. Visit Janet’s blog here.
FINAL WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
More tips from YOU that you’ve left on the blog this month . . . Thank you for your help and encouragement! I’ll be sharing one more set tomorrow.
“A thing that we do is set the verses to a tune… somehow singing it helps me to memorize it too!”
– Karrilee
“Re taste and smell: use that mnemonic idea where you mentally walk round your house, but include the kitchen and garden.”
– David
“Thanks for the reminder that this is about the Lord, not about getting crazed over memorization.”
– Linda
“It is good to keep learning at any age even though it’s not always easy. But the joy of learning makes it all worthwhile. And when we learn the Word of God…nothing beats it.”
– Mari-Anna
“Praying through the chapter – any chapter of the Bible – can make a profound impact. This is a practice that I am trying to become better at (if there is a “better”), and in the process of developing as a habit.
Side note: when I start to feel bogged down with “studying” the Scriptures – bogged down to the point where I do not even move forward…I remind myself to just read the chapter (which ever one I’m studying at the time) – just read it and let God’s Word soak in and don’t think about the study aspect, just read. When I do that, it’s freeing and amazing only enough…I always come away enlightened in some way.”
– Deanna
“Whenever a scripture speaks to me, when I “get it,” I just always feel much closer to God!”
– Jerralea
“Blue Letter Bible has an app — which is good for looking up words on the go on your phone if you don’t want to carry around a computer or big book.”
– Lyli
“The word study approach really appeals to me as a former English major. I am fascinated by words, and discovering the *roots* of words in Scripture can be so enlightening. I really enjoy using the Amplified Bible translation, as it adds shades of meaning inherent in the original words.”
– Sharon
LINKS
- Isaiah 12 3×5 Cards
- Janet Pope’s blog on scripture memory
- His Word in My Heart on Amazon
- Book review and tips from His Word in My Heart
* * *
Do you have a favorite book on scripture memory? Please leave a comment.
I’ve already purchased Janet Pope’s book. It is wonderful and was inspired to memorize Psalm 1. I then started reviewing some of the scripture I had previously memorized. This challenge encouraged me to start memorizing chapters again.
I’m glad you benefited from Janet Pope’s book too! It’s encouraging to hear that others are also dedicated to putting in the time and energy to memory scripture. It’s not an easy journey for me, but it’s a beneficial one. Thanks for commenting, Pam.