What Will You Treasure in 2024?
Let it be Jesus.
Toward the end of 2023, I finished reading Memorizing Scripture by Glenna Marshall. It took me about 4 months to read, but that’s not because the book is long (it isn’t) or because it’s not good (it’s SO good), but because I am stubborn. I have long wanted to devote more time to Scripture memorization, but I had convinced myself that it was too hard and I wouldn’t retain the verses I memorized. But past experience has shown at least the latter part of that sentence to be untrue. I still remember passages I committed to memory back in high school and college. I may not recall them perfectly, but I know enough of them to keep the true meaning intact. When I was in college, I experienced what I can only describe as a spiritual awakening. The Lord saved me when I was 15, but it wasn’t until my sophomore and junior years of college that I really fell in love with the Bible. I remember poring over Scripture for hours and writing verses on index card after index card, putting them on my mirror or computer and working to commit the words to memory. My hunger for God’s Word was voracious; I couldn’t get enough. And those hours I spent in God’s Word have paid off in dividends since then, for I often still call to mind passages I devoted to memory back then.
As I have gotten older, however, I convinced myself that my mind was no longer capable of holding onto words (or anything, for that matter) the way it once did. I had anecdotal evidence to back me up: it’s not uncommon for me to enter a room and forget why I had gone there in the first place, and if you asked me to recount what I did on a particular day last week, I would be hard-pressed to tell you unless I could cheat and look at my planner (which I also sometimes forget to keep updated). All of this is to say that though I was excited to pre-order Glenna’s book because I have known her since college and have loved seeing how the Lord has worked in her life over the years and love everything she writes, I came to the topic of Scripture memory with some hesitation1.
That hesitation was completely unnecessary. Glenna’s book is practical, helpful, and encouraging. She makes the case that any believer can memorize, even if you are someone who considers yourself terrible at remembering things. Memorizing doesn’t take superior intellect; it takes time and consistency and persistence, all of which we have at our disposal. In short, if memorizing Scripture matters to you, you can do it. As Glenna says in the book, “As in every part of the Christian life, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (see 2 Peter 1:3). He equips us for what He has called us to. He designed your mind to memorize His Word. You may feel you have a poor memory, but you can memorize Scripture.2”
Before I even finished the book I had started memorizing my first passage, Psalm 40. I downloaded the Verses app (which is sadly only available for Apple devices) and began listening to, reading, and reviewing the passage. And I discovered that not only was memorizing not as intimidating as I had thought, it was life-giving. Psalm 40 is one of my favorite Bible passages, and spending time meditating on it every week has been such an encouragement to my soul. I don’t spend tons of time reviewing the verses; maybe 5-10 minutes a day, if that, but they are sticking with me so far.
The gift of memorizing Scripture is that I am filling my mind with the Word of God. The more there is of what God says, the less room there is for junk. And the more I fill my mind with God’s Word, the more I want. I have mentioned here before how much I love using the Dwell Bible app, and coupling my daily listening with Scripture memory has only increased my desire to hear more from God's Word. There are so many voices competing for my attention, so many shows and books and podcasts and movies, and the noise can become all-consuming and overwhelming. The quickest way to quiet the cacophony around me is to root myself in the unchanging truth of God and His Word.
I know January is the time of year when people make resolutions and goals, big and small. Others choose a word to guide them through the year. I haven’t done any of that this year3. I want to treasure Christ and His Word, and so the one thing I want to do this year is read the Bible and hide it in my heart. As Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.4” So I am listening to and reading the Bible. I am playing it when I get ready in the morning. I am playing it on my way to work. I am reading it when I am in line at the store or the pharmacy. I am reviewing the verses in the Verses app. I read a psalm before bed.
Saying “yes” to this time studying the Bible means saying “no” to other things, but honestly, this is an easy “yes.” I don’t need more time scrolling on my phone or watching TV or listening to podcast after podcast. We make time for what we love, and when I look back on my life, I want it to be clear that what I loved was Jesus. I want my girls to know that Jesus comes first and that He is everything.
Don’t waste another minute wishing you knew the Bible better. Start today. Start now.
Just to be clear: Glenna didn’t ask me to write this, nor does she know I am writing it.
Memorizing Scripture, pg. 34, emphasis mine.
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with these things. I am just simplifying this year.
John 6:68
ERIN. Gosh, thank you for sharing this. What a blessing to see this in my inbox this morning. My goal in writing Memorizing Scripture was exactly this—to encourage readers to dive into what I believe is a deeply transformative practice. "If memorizing Scripture matters to you, you can do it." Yes!! Thank you, friend!
I will echo your other readers, Erin, this line really spoke to me as well, "We make time for what we love, and when I look back on my life, I want it to be clear that what I loved was Jesus." This is true about anything of which we say, "I don't have enough time for ______________________."
Also, it's amazing how much more brain space I have since I left social media. It's a win-win as the focus I have now is able to become what matters--real live people and God's Word.
P.S. I'm currently in a Voxer group memorizing Psalm 91--I've got four verses on four cards for a total of 16 altogether. Totally doable and soooo worthwhile.