As I read ‘The Heavenly Man’ I was intrigued at how Yun would memorise long passages of scripture while in prison – whole books even – but I was also challenged that this was something I ought to attempt also.
I have found it really difficult to engage with the Bible while we have been travelling and while I don’t beat myself up over that, I want to find a way to re-focus. Surfing mags are fun, but they don’t do a lot for the soul… junk food really…
I have always had a reasonably good knack for memorizing stuff and as a teenager I used to remember large sections of scripture because I found it helpful. Much of it has stuck, but lately I haven’t done a lot. It hasn’t seemed necessary what with internet access and the availability of Bibles on iphones etc.
So I thought that if Yun could memorise 8 or 9 books while in prison then I could at least have a crack at one while on holidays. My favourite gospel is John, so I thought I would try and memorise it.
Its harder than it looks…
I am up to Ch 1 v 18, but that has taken me two weeks…
However while the actual memorization is difficult what has been incredibly valuable has been the constant meditation on the passage that this exercise necessitates. I think I have read and recited John 1 several hundred times in the last two weeks and its amazing what you observe and what you reflect on as you do it.
I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say it has been stirring me.
And at this rate I reckon I will have the book of John fully memorized by 2015…
Good on you Andrew. Have to smile – when I first read this I misread and thought you meant 18 chapters, and I was about to stand in awe! I have been thinking about using Lecto Divino (or however you spell it) to help me with bible reading. You don’t have to read much, and ponder more – that appeals.
Onya mate – great idea. I memorised the first eight chapters of Mark at college – but for less than honourable reasons; I had to pass a Gk exam! still it was amazing to go through it that way. A mate of mine, Tim Chapple, and I did a dramatic reading of those chapters at St Matts one night and it was really powerful. We miss a lot with our silent reading culture I reckon. It will be interesting to see “how” it reads – whether it sounds narrative or not. Mark certainly lends itself to that, but wonder about John
I find memorisation quite difficult, and have become especially lazy, thanks to Bible gateway!
Selwyn Hughes was a strong proponent of bible memorisation, and it certainly seems a good thing to do. I just keep reading, reading, reading, and at each pass new bits seem to stick or stand out, but not in an orderly fashion. maybe time for some disciplined reading?
Hi Andrew,
I started memorising scripture mid last year and within two months I had memorized Psalm 103, Psalm 139, and the first few chapters of Collosians. It is a very worthwhile pursuit. I had stopped for some reason or other, but this post reminds me I should pick it up again.
These are the two links that helped me greatly:
http://tinyurl.com/ko8dvy
http://tinyurl.com/67yx2z
All the best.