Memorizing by Visualizing

Today, I would like to begin a series on some practical tips for Scripture memorization.  I have stressed many times the importance and value of Scripture memory, now I want to share some practical suggestions as to how we can apply this discipline to our every-day life.  There are many principles that are helpful when memorizing Scripture, but in this series, I want to focus on the specifics of how to memorize Scripture.  So let’s begin.

First of all, in order to memorize Scripture, you can visualize it.  There are several (fun) ways to do this.  Visualizing a verse is especially helpful for younger ones, although I have found it beneficial in my own life as well.

Try drawing pictures for each word or phrase.  If you’re techy, you could use something like Microsoft PowerPoint to aid you.  A word picture, or rebus, is very simple to make, it just take a little creativity.  For example, in John 3:16 you could use the number four to represent the word for.  For God, you could use a picture of God. For so, you could use a picture of someone sewing, and for love, you could use a heart.  You get the idea.  Then as you memorize, use that visualization to help you recall the words.

You can also act out the verse.  Sometimes, I like to act like I’m speaking the verse as if I were the original author. Doing so helps it stick better in your brain.  You could also try acting out what the verse says.  For Genesis 1:1, you could pretend to be making the world.  Again this is a helpful tool for younger children.

A final tip in visualizing a verse is to put hand and body motions to the word.  The more you get your whole body active in this memorization process the better.  For example, Psalm 119:11 says “Your (point to God) Word (do the hand motion for a book) have I hidden (pretend to hide something much like you would hide a candle’s light) in my heart (make a heart with your hands) that I might not (no the hand motion for no) sin against you (point to God).”  Note: the sillier these hand-motions are, the better they will stick in your brain.

Many of the methods I have mentioned are helpful to get you started, and then you can solidify the verse in your mind through the usual methods of memorization—just trying to recall it.

Visualizing a verse will help you and your family, particularly little ones, learn and understand the verse better.

If you have any other suggestions in the area of visualizing a verse, I would love to hear them!  God’s blessings be upon your memorization!