Why and how to memorize Psalms
My parents paid me to memorize.
I tell you that so you know I'm not claiming good motives. I thought that sounded better than earning money by doing chores. But once I started - I found the Bible spoke to my heart much more than simply reading it did. Chapters I'd memorized felt special, and I perked up when I heard them referenced in church.
My credentials for making this website and writing the book Praying with the Psalmists do include some classes at Biola University. But mostly they come from a deep love of Psalms that comes from memorizing them for over 50 years. I'm not so much trying to teach you about Psalms as take your hand and say let me show you this beautiful book that will open your heart. Come on a journey with me and see if praying with the Psalmists deepens your prayers.
And along with using Psalms as a pattern for prayer, I have another suggestion. While you're studying Psalms, why not memorize your favorite Psalm? I suspect you may find yourself wanting to memorize more.
At my former church, the pastor did a series on spiritual disciplines, and the week he talked about memorizing Scripture, I told my story. I also posted that story on my Sonderjourneys blog. I still say that Psalm 103 saved my life when my husband left me. And it helped so much because I had it in my heart.
In this Sonderjourneys blog post, I give four reasons, which I adjusted to five when I wrote the book.
- It puts the Word of God in your heart.
- God's Word doesn't return void.
- The Holy Spirit can more easily get your attention.
- Memorizing chapters gives you the thread of Scripture.
- It makes the passage your own.
First, let me say that I firmly believe no one is bad at memorizing Scripture. And you can't do it wrong. Maybe it takes you longer than it does me, who's been practicing all my life. But honestly? That gives you more time with the Scripture you're memorizing.
I do have some tips if you want to get quicker at it. I explained my process in the post I mentioned above, and I give three tips in this Sonderjourneys post.
In the book, I consolidated those into four tips:
- Engage as many senses as possible. I read aloud when I'm memorizing.
- Set goals by time, not by quantity. Chapters and verses vary wildly. You may not be able to memorize a verse a day, but you can spend ten minutes a day (or whatever you choose).
- Focus on one thing at a time. I memorize first a verse at a time, then a paragraph at a time, then a chapter at a time. And don't worry about the other verses, paragraphs, or chapters while I'm doing that. Because of the next tip:
- Review It's when you come back to a chapter or verse enough times that it will stick. (I learned this because my parents gave me half-price pay to review a chapter at least a month after the last time I'd memorized it. Turns out, after about ten times, it was stuck in my head and heart.)
But remember, you can't do it wrong! Think about trying to memorize a Psalm. Some nice starting ones might be Psalm 1, Psalm 8, Psalm 23, or Psalm 100. When you want to try longer, some others I love are Psalm 18, Psalm 27, Psalm 73, Psalm 91, and Psalm 103.
And when you've done it or tried some of my tips, please comment on one of the Sonderjourneys blog posts! It encourages my heart.