Get It In Your Long-Term Memory

Joshua 1:8 (NLT) —

‘Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.’

Today we’re exploring something we try to do every week in Gas Street Kids - memorising scripture.

From a quick count I have 6 different versions of the Bible at home, plus a Bible app. I can therefore find any verse almost instantly. But how much could I remember if they were all taken away, or forbidden, or illegal? Something that has always stuck with me are the challenging stories of persecuted Christians around the world who memorise whole swathes of Scripture, simply because it is their only option of reading God's Word. 

I grew up on 'memory verses', and I’ve got songs for all sorts of verses (I can sing them for you next time you see me). As a child I didn't really think it was that helpful, except maybe to get a prize in Sunday school. As an adult, however, there have been countless times I have fallen back on the scriptures I have memorised. When life gets hard, opening the Bible can be hard. It can be hard to read and pray and study scripture, but the verses I learnt as a child are ingrained so deeply into my brain that I don’t think I could ever forget them. 

Joshua talks about keeping God’s word on our lips, meditating on it day and night. Memorising scripture as adults can be challenging, but I guarantee you that it will be worth it. Pick some verses and get them into your long-term memory. Each month in Gas Street Kids we choose a different memory verse. It’s nothing ground-breaking, and for our 7-year olds it probably feels pointless, but my hope is that at 27 and 47 and 77 they'll discover it was worth it.

Response: Choose a verse you are going to commit to memory. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you, stick it up around your house, set it as your lock screen, and do whatever else it takes to get it in your long-term memory!