‘Write Them on Your Heart’: Why We Memorize Scripture

I once had a dog whose name was Howard. The only thing Howard loved more than running away from home was chewing on a big, juicy bone. Anyone who has owned a dog probably knows what I’m talking about. Your cute canine gets a bone and instantly turns into a ferocious beast: “I love this bone. I cherish this bone. Don’t you even think about taking my delicious bone!” Some dogs, like Howard, have a habit of burying their bones. After a while, they dig them up and the entire process begins again: “I absolutely adore my bone!”

Digesting God’s Word

God invites us to delight in His Word as fervently as a dog relishes a huge, tasty bone. How so? Psalm 1:2 states: “His delight is in the law [Torah] of the Lord, and on His law [Torah] he meditates day and night.” The word “meditate” here suggests quiet reflection, focused contemplation and an earnest striving to internalize and memorize God’s Holy Word. “Meditate,” however, also implies chewing, ruminating on and digesting biblical truth. From Genesis to Revelation, God provides a delicious feast of Gospel promises for us to take to heart and commit to memory.

Perhaps this famous prayer by Thomas Cranmer comes to mind: “Blessed Lord, who has caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them.” Do you see what biblical meditation implies? The goal isn’t merely to go through God’s Word. The goal, instead, is to allow God’s Word to go through us. The key idea? “Inwardly digest.”

Reading the Bible, therefore, is different from reading a book to pass a test, learn a hobby or be entertained. Yes, we read and memorize Holy Scripture to learn more. But we also sink our teeth into God’s Word to become more — to love more and to follow Jesus more and more. Psalm 119:11 puts it this way: “I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” God’s plan is for our time in His Word to bring about our transformation and sanctification. We memorize biblical passages so we may be empowered to say “yes” to Jesus and “no” to Satan and his soul-destroying lies.

Thus we don’t approach God’s Word with the same attitude as, say, a laboratory scientist. His concern is with facts — just the facts. Instead, we pour both our minds and our hearts into the Bible. As the baptized, our deepest desire is to have fellowship with Jesus through the Word, so He can shape and sharpen us into more faithful disciples.

Consider these biblical examples of people who longed for divine truth to go deeply into their lives:

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jer. 15:16).

“[God] said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.’ Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey” (Ezek. 3:3).

“I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it’” (Rev. 10:9).

Jeremiah, Ezekiel and John (writing in Revelation) show us how to approach Holy Scripture. Our objective is to internalize spiritual truth, with the result that we’ll abound in wisdom for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

The Triune God isn’t the strong, silent type. Our God speaks. God’s Word called Abraham from Ur in the land of the Chaldeans; spoke to Moses from a burning bush; gave manna and quail in the wilderness; thundered from Sinai; and spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice. God’s Word even made dry bones come to life and stand on their feet, a vast army (Ezek. 37). God said it. Faith believes it. We memorize it. “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3).

If we have biblical passages committed to memory, when fear appears, we can say, “God has said, ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you’ (Isaiah 43:1).” When guilt overwhelms, we can say, “God has said, ‘Neither do I condemn you’ (John 8:11).” Dig for verses as a miner digs for gold. Once you find a nugget, grasp it. Trust it. Memorize it. Hold on to it, and just like a dog with a savory bone, refuse to let it go.

The Word Made Flesh

Why spend this kind of time and energy poring over the Bible? Committing verses to memory? Inwardly digesting Holy Scripture? Because the biblical Word connects us to the incarnate Word, the Word made flesh — Jesus our Lord, who comes for us and for our salvation. Pontius Pilate orders Jesus’ flesh to be ripped, torn, dressed in purple and crowned with thorns. Then he brings Jesus out before the crowd and cries out, “Behold the man!” (John 19:5). The Latin is well-known: ecce homo (“behold the man”). Here is the man. Flesh. Flesh and blood. Flesh and blood with a beaten body. That’s God we’re talking about. God in the flesh. The Word who is God. The Word who was with God in the beginning.

Why did Christ do it? “So that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). Jesus tasted death? What was that like? Soldiers’ spit, cheap wine, sweat running down His butchered body and the utter abandonment of His heavenly Father.

But Jesus didn’t just taste death. He chewed it up and spit it out. “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54). Now the Spirit of the risen Christ calls us to hunger and yearn for Holy Scripture. “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).

Another Option

There is, however, another option — though not a good one. Let’s go back to Psalm 1, where the first verse mentions three groups: “the counsel of the wicked,” “the way of sinners” and “the seat of scoffers.” Where do we find ourselves tempted to cast our lot in with the wicked? The sinners? The scoffers? For most of us? Screens!

The average American spends hundreds — if not thousands — of hours every year scrolling social media sites, bingeing video content, streaming podcasts and browsing websites. And what’s the constant message we receive from our screens? Be kind to your neighbor? Forgive those who wrong you? Be content with what you have? Ha! The directive is singular. Live. Only. For. Yourself.

My smartphone entices me with this message every day. How? It gives me instant access to thousands of friends on Facebook that I’m tempted to envy. I can occupy my mind with instant weather, sports, news and financial updates all day — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I’m guessing you also have a smartphone that time and again distracts you, too, sucking up your attention span, souring your mood and undermining your faith. I recently forgot my phone at home and had to spend an entire day at work without it. I felt as though my entire life had ended!

Of course, one of the biggest downsides to our phones is that they eat up the precious time we might otherwise use to study and memorize Holy Scripture. Let’s be honest: This happens way too often. It’s time to curtail screen time and increase Bible time.

Getting Practical

Once we’re committed to “inwardly digesting” Holy Scripture, how do we go about actually memorizing biblical passages? Two verses in the Psalms are helpful: Psalm 77:12 and Psalm 143:5. Both equate “meditating” with “rehearsing.” Yes, committing divine truth to memory takes work. How about setting a timer so you take five minutes every day to chew on a verse or two?

Music can also help with memorization. Psalm 71:23–24 states, “My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to You; my soul also, which You have redeemed. And my tongue will talk of Your righteous help all the day long.” Did you catch the connection? “Singing” and “talking” go together. A Google search will help you find out if a passage is set to music. If it is, your memorization will be easier.

Trees and Chaff

Let’s return to Psalm 1. Verse 3 states: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Those who memorize biblical verses are likened to a flourishing tree.

Isn’t that the kind of Christian you’d like to become? One who displays spiritual beauty while also being firmly rooted in Christ’s love? That’s God’s guarantee — when you ruminate on His Word.

In contrast, Psalm 1:4 states that the wicked are like chaff. This fall, if you drive through rural parts of America, you might see combines at work harvesting fields of wheat and corn. You’ll also see chaff blowing in the wind. That’s the psalmist’s point.

People who don’t have divine revelation nourishing their hearts are chaff-like. Without spiritual roots, gale-force setbacks blow them off course. Without God’s Word, their life lacks substance and stability. Without fervent biblical beliefs, they have nothing to live for and nothing to die for. How sad. How tragic.

Taste and See

To enjoy a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus, we don’t need to work ourselves into an emotional frenzy. We don’t need to climb a mountain or find an ocean beach. And we certainly don’t need to go running after a spiritual guru who promises enlightenment through stress-reducing tools and lifestyle hacks. Instead, Psalm 1 invites us to slow down — to linger over, meditate on and memorize God’s life-giving Word.

So take a seat. Grab your knife and fork. Open your Bible. And then? “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8)!

This article originally appeared in print in the September 2026 issue of The Lutheran Witness.

Cover image: Unsplash/Steven Wong