“The Scripture Practice is the slow, prayerful, contemplative reading of Scripture with the goal of formation, not only information.
This week, we focus on storing the truth of Scripture deep within our hearts, minds, and even our bodies. Memorizing Scripture is far more valuable than the speed or convenience of looking it up. The goal is not quick access but deep integration—Scripture written on our hearts so it becomes part of who we are.
On the cross, as recorded in Matthew 27:45–46, Jesus quoted from memory Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In doing so, He likely engaged in a Hebrew Rabbinic teaching method called remez—quoting the first line of a well-known Scripture with the expectation that the listener would recall the entire passage from memory. And when you recall Psalm 22 you see plainly that Jesus, while on the cross being crucified and dying, is saying that He is the fulfilment of the prophecy in Psalm 22. But, unless you had memorized Scripture you would have missed this. This moment underscores the spiritual weight and power of having God’s Word stored deep within us.
Dallas Willard, the Christian philosopher and Spiritual Formation pioneer who has shaped much of my own journey, once said:
“Memorizing Scripture is even more important than a daily quiet time, for as we fill our minds with great passages and have them readily available for our meditation, ‘quiet time’ takes over the entirety of our lives.”
Memorized Scripture becomes an inner library we can draw upon in times of temptation, suffering, or decision-making. It allows God’s voice to meet us instantly in our need, renew our minds, and strengthen us from within—without waiting to find the right passage in a search bar.
I shared with our congregation this week that I’ve grown too dependent on tools like YouVersion, Bible Gateway, Google, and now ChatGPT to quickly find “that verse.” I realized I’ve lost the discipline of hiding God’s Word in my heart through memorization. Preparing for this Practice series convicted me deeply—it’s time to return to the habit of storing Scripture in my soul.
I’m making that change now. Would you join me in this journey? Let’s commit to filling our hearts and minds with God’s Word so fully that, like Jesus, it flows from us naturally—whether in worship, in trials, or in everyday conversations.”