The Case for Scripture Memory During COVID-19

A couple of weeks ago, I was riding in the car, and as I shifted in the seat, I felt something tear in my lower back. Strange as it sounds, I wasn’t surprised. Those closest to me know I’ve dealt with chronic back problems for more than a decade. For the most part, I do well by exercising on an elliptical machine most days of the week and seeing my chiropractor a couple of times a month. But when the COVID-19 pandemic closed my gym and chiropractor’s office, the lack of preventative measures caught up with me.

A few days into the fiasco, I was home icing my back. John had gone to pick up a takeout order, and I was alone. Losing the ability to get up and down without help cues my mind to imagine worst-case scenarios. I was rehearsing my “What if” greatest hits collection that goes something like this; “What if my back doesn’t heal this time? What if John gets tired of helping me? What if I can’t go back to the gym? What if I can never put on my socks again? What if it hurts this bad forever?”

And so it goes.

I turned on the TV to distract myself and was hit with a barrage of statistics and sobering news about COVID-19.  I scrolled Twitter—same thing. In ninety seconds I went from worrying about chronic back pain to the need for ventilators in New York City. Finally, I turned off the TV and put down my phone. I stared at my bedroom ceiling and said out loud:

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19).

And another.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

And another.

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

As I said the verses out loud, my thoughts focused on God’s faithfulness. I was no longer entertaining what might happen—I was focusing on what is true. We have to be careful what we think about— if we let our thoughts run wild we are courting disaster. Even in times of relative ease, our culture feeds us a steady diet of bad news and bogus self-help mantras. When the bottom falls out, and we aren’t in a situation where we can readily reach for our Bibles, it’s essential to have some Scriptures memorized that we can call on and redirect our thinking to God’s Word. It’s always been important to memorize Scripture, but I’d argue that a global pandemic is an optimum time to start.

Here are five reasons I’m convinced Scripture memory will change your life:

1. Scripture memory is effective in dealing with temptation. When Jesus was led into the wilderness and tempted by Satan, he responded by saying, “It is written….” (Matt 4). In other words, Jesus quoted the Word of God when facing the enemy. We all have areas where we are prone to temptation, and it’s crucial that we memorize relevant passages that address the areas of our struggle.

2. Scripture memory transforms our thinking. Our lives are a direct result of our thoughts. Without a steady dose of the Word of God, we will default to secular ideology, and therefore, secular living. If we want to change the way we live, we have to change the way we think. Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” There is no better tool than Scripture memory for transforming our thought process.

3. Scripture memory allows us to recall God’s promises quickly. When disaster strikes, or when everyday life happens, we’ll seldom have time to reach for our Bibles. But if we already have some Scriptures memorized, we’ll be able to call on God’s promises in our hour of need.

4. Scripture memory helps in our battle with sin. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” The Holy Spirit is faithful to remind us of relevant Bible passages to help in our battle with sin, but we have to commit them to memory, so the Holy Spirit can bring them to mind.

5. Scripture memory increases our understanding of the Word. As we memorize Scripture and turn the truths of the Word of God over and over in our minds, we gain an increased understanding of God’s Word. If we have Scripture committed to memory, we can meditate on the Word anytime and anywhere. Psalm 119:5 says, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”

I don’t know about you, but I waste time on things that have little or no value. We’ll never waste a minute we spend in God’s Word. Even if we only commit to memorizing one passage each month, in a year’s time, we’ll have twelve verses committed to memory. If you are new to Scripture memory, begin by picking a verse that speaks directly to a situation you are dealing with and refer back to it several times each day. Write it on a note card and repeat it until you can recite it from memory. If you’ll commit to just a few minutes each day you’ll be surprised at what you can memorize over the course of a year. Most importantly, you’ll have those passages committed to memory and ready to use when you need them.