2 Timothy 3:16 Why Should I Memorize God’s Word?
“All the Holy Writings are God-given and are made alive by Him. Man is helped when he is taught God’s Word. It shows what is wrong. It changes the way of a man’s life. It shows him how to be right with God” (NLV).
This property is in Montana, just outside Yellowstone National Park, so we can guess that it gets cold in the winter. We can see by this large stack of firewood that they have been preparing for winter’s storms and cold weather by storing a large quantity of firewood. When the temperature drops, they just throw another log on the fire to keep them warm. Hopefully, they have enough stored to last through winter.
As Christians, we need to gather a large of supply of Godly help to get us through the storms and difficulties of life. The best thing we can store for these dark, lonely, and stormy times is the Word of God. When we are lonely or hurting or ill, or just feel lost, we can reach for the Bible and search until we find a Scripture that helps. We can also check with a reference book for verses that are appropriate to the situation. We can call a pastor or a friend and ask for Scripture suggestions. But, there is one way that is closer and quicker, memorized Scripture. It’s immediate. We don’t have to go look for it. We don’t have to call someone to give us suggestions. If we have memorized enough Scripture, we can just ask the author, God, and an appropriate one will be suggested by Him. Memorized Scripture is a treasure trove of wisdom, knowledge, hope, love, and faith. Some of us could say, “But I don’t know any Scripture. Where should I start memorizing?” Others may say, “I’m not good at memorizing.” To both groups I can say that there are many, many systems of learning Scripture, and most of them are offered for free. Type “Scripture memorization” in a Google search. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest reading the Gospel of John. I don’t think you will get very far before you find something you would like to remember. Some people may say, “I don’t have time to memorize a lot of Scripture.” That’s okay; one verse memorized is a start, and it’s better than having none memorized.
Here’s some encouragement. Fanny Crosby had memorized the first four books of the Old Testament, and the four Gospels by the time she was ten years old. That’s impressive, but what makes it more impressive is the fact that Fanny was blind. I’m not only impressed with what Fanny did, but I am also impressed with whoever read the verses to her often enough for her to memorize them. Maybe it would be a good idea to get a partner and memorize together. My list of memorized Scripture is not very long, so I need to get a new start at Scripture memorization. Will you join me?