We, as Christians, are called to know God and make Him known. Part of knowing God is knowing and understanding His Word. And part of understanding His Word is committing His Word to memory. 

Here are six tips on memorizing Scripture. 

Find a verse or passage. 

You can either choose to memorize a verse or a passage — or a chapter! To start easy, for the beginners, memorize a verse but if you want to be bold, then choose a passage of Scripture that you feel that God is putting on your heart. 

Write the verse down. 

This goes without saying … but I’m writing it anyway. Write it down, and then write it down again. Try and write each word of the verse down, but missing a letter. Then you fill it in every time you try to recite the verse out loud. This is called the First Letter Technique, and can work for some people, but maybe not all people. 

Keep it in front of you at all times. 

This goes for the visual learners; I would say this is an addition to memorizing Scripture. Once you write it down, put it on your bathroom mirror, in your kitchen (on your coffee maker), in your car, on your desk, or wherever you frequent the most. When you look at it, read through it instead of glancing at it. This helps you know what’s in the verse and trains your mind to understand it more thoroughly. 

Listen to it. 

Maybe you’re not a visual learner; instead, try recording a voice memo and listen to it when you’re out and about (on a walk, on your commute, after your quiet time, etc.). Maybe record a TikTok video?

Find an accountability partner. 

We’re meant for community; we know this from Ecclesiastes 9:4-12 and Romans 12:4-5. Find an accountability partner to keep you accountable in memorizing a particular verse or passage. This person can be a friend, mentor, family member, anyone! 

Give yourself grace. 

Unless you have a photographic memory, you’re not going to memorize it right off the bat. Even actors have a hard time memorizing lines for shows! Give yourself grace — this takes discipline and practice to memorize Scripture. Give yourself grace and try not to compare yourself to the Christian who can recite all of Deuteronomy (that would be impressive). Focus on your growth and memorization instead of others.