Maybe I’m the only one who has a hard time memorizing scripture. Sitting down to commit large chunks of text to memory is incredibly daunting. Seriously. I can hardly remember where I park when I go to Target. The struggle is real.
But here’s the strange thing: I can easily sing a list of all 50 states in alphabetical order. Ask me next time you see me. I’ll do it for you. And while this silly song I learned in elementary school choir is completely ridiculous, it has worked. Was there some sort of black magic in that 90s modular classroom? Doubtful.
Henry L. Roediger III, professor of psychology at the Memory Lab at Washington University in St. Louis, says that music provides a rhythm, a rhyme and often, alliteration. In a 2013 Wall Street Journal article, Roediger explained the link between tunes and our brain mechanisms.
“All that structure is the key to unlocking information stored in the brain—with music acting as a cue,” according to Dr. Roediger. “Music is a powerful mnemonic device, but the song's structure is what allows a person to recall the information it holds—not necessarily the catchy tune itself.”
The Word
Now, wouldn’t it be great if Katy Perry was belting out Ephesians 1? Or if Bruno Mars was dancing to Romans 10:9-10? (The answer is yes, obviously.) But on the off-chance that these dreams don’t come true, I have a Plan B for memorization.
The Verses Project is a website that posts a weekly memory verse with an accompanying song to help you hear, sing, and memorize God’s Word. Its creators work with professional musicians to provide free high-quality music and collaborate with visual artists to provide artwork to save on your mobile device, desktop, or print out for your wall.
From the website: “We believe there is no more important book in the world than the Word of God because within it we find the words of God. Do you want to know what God is like and what He has done throughout history? Look to His Word. Wonder who we are, and what we were created for? Look to His Word. God’s Word is living and abiding (1 Peter 1:23); by it we are born again, and by it we grow up into salvation (1 Peter 2:2)!”
“We believe there is no more important book in the world than the Word of God because within it we find the words of God."
The next time you want a little more Apostle Paul than Maroon 5 in your brain, just click your way over to theversesproject.com.