Over the past several years, I have learned to memorize several chapters of the Bible at different times in my life. Starting with Psalm 139, a psalm that talks about how carefully God crafted each and every one of us, I have moved on to other psalms and just recently finished memorizing Isaiah 40, a chapter consisting of 31 verses. In times of stress, anxiety, uneasiness, or just boredom, I recite these passage to myself as a source of comfort. As someone who has never considered myself to be exceptionally good at memorizing, I have found that, with enough patience, memorizing longer passages of Scripture has come quite easily to me. Here's how you can effortlessly memorize long poems, Bible passages, Bible verses, and more:
1. Pick a poem or Bible passage that you feel passionate about memorizing.
I chose Isaiah 40 to memorize because it is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible, and I knew that being able to remember its content anytime I needed it would be helpful in my day-to-day life. Pick something that you will enjoy the process of memorizing and will continue to hold in your mind for a long time because of its importance to you.
2. Split your passage into small sections, consisting of fewer than 20 words each.
Dividing up your chapter or poem will allow you to memorize small chunks at a time rather than try to cram it all into your brain at once. If you are memorizing a chapter of the Bible, it will already be split into verses, but feel free to split those verses up further if they are too long.
3. Pick a time each day to memorize one small section of your passage.
Personally, I tried to memorize one verse of Isaiah 40 each night before I went to bed.
4. As you memorize your first daily section, repeat the words to yourself over and over to get them stuck in your head.
Say them out loud, and after several repeats, attempt them without looking. Then, do something else for several minutes and attempt to recall what you have memorized.
5. The next day, recall what you memorized the day before, and add your next section to it.
Hopefully you can still recall the previous section/s and are able to add the next one to it.
Over time, you will begin to recite previous sections automatically, like a song you know really well. You won't have to think about the words but will be able to say them effortlessly. Although this method does take time, it is the most effective way to memorize long passages of Scripture or similar texts because what you memorize will be placed into your long-term memory rather than short-term, where it would easily disappear. If you continue to repeat the passage to yourself long after you have finished memorizing it, it will stay in your mind for retrieval as long a you wish. Happy memorizing!
Sheetal Tadiparty
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