Before written languages were developed, memory was the only way to learn. We don’t really need to memorise things now, especially when we have phones in our pockets with a wealth of information just waiting for us. But memorising Scripture and truths about God has some special benefits. When we’ve stored wonderful words in our memory, we’ll have a much richer inner life than someone who doesn’t. Eva Hermann spent two years in a Nazi prison camp. She wrote how a young cellmate happened to recite the prayer of St Teresa: ‘Let naught trouble thee; let naught frighten thee; all things pass. God alone changeth not. Patience can do all things. Whoever has God, has everything. God alone sufficeth.’ When Eva saw how much this helped the girl, she began to repeat the prayer at the end of every day. Eva later wrote of how her time in prison was transformed by the words she had memorised. This illustrates that the words we carry in our minds are available to transform any given moment. So when there’s a verse of Scripture that speaks to you, stop and write it down. Put it on a mirror in your bathroom, or in your smartphone or on a calendar, or in your car. If you learn best by hearing, listen to the Scripture being read. If you’re a visual learner, try associating pictures and objects with Scripture verses; for example you could light a candle and read these words: ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5 NIV). When God’s Word is rehearsed, remembered, and repeated often, it’s like a stream of joy, peace, and strength that flows and carries our souls along with it.
