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Last June, a man came to my church and stood up to speak the benediction at the end of the service. It is common in our church for someone to read a passage of Scripture after worship and announcements to close the service. To my joyful surprise, instead of reading a passage of Scripture, he recited one. He had memorized the passage and spoke it in such a way that clarified the meaning of the text through where he placed the emphasis on each word and the tone he adopted. It was clear that he had spent time studying this text and was presenting it to our church in a way that drew every individual in so profoundly that you could literally see people leaning forward in their chairs.
He was a visitor from a church in Frankfurt who had come to introduce Scripture Recitation to us. Fast forward one year, and I am now on the board of directors for our By Heart recitation ministry, and I lead the recitation ministry at our church. It is such a joy to walk others through studying the Scriptures to help them speak the Word with an understanding that animates the text and brings it to life.
Did you know that there are 71 references in Scripture to hearing the Word and only 49 references to reading it? And of those 49, 29 are in reference to reading the Word out loud publicly. So there are really 100 references to hearing the Word and only 20 to reading it. This does not in any way diminish the importance of reading the Word, but it certainly does emphasize the importance of hearing the Word!
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)
Memorizing Scripture is like a savings account. You fill it up now to use it at a later date when you need it. When you are tempted or discouraged, you can "withdraw" the Scripture you have previously memorized to minister to you in the moment. Speaking the Word publicly is also a blessing to the church. A reciter has studied the text and can recite in a way that clarifies the meaning. In 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul encourages Timothy:
"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching."
I encourage you to give Scripture memory a try, and even to find a place to recite it, whether at your church, small group, or even at the dinner table. It can be one verse or a whole chapter. One thing is clear: when the time comes that you need to turn to your savings account of truth, you'll be glad you made the deposit when you did.
Here is a video of one of my recitations of James 1:
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