If you’re like me, you can often draw a blank if you try to remember what you read in your quiet time with the Lord a few hours before.
On one hand, we’ll never remember everything we read (that’s one reason to keep rereading it). But we can still trust that God’s Word nourished us. In a similar vein, I might not remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but it still did its job.
Still, the Bible tells us to meditate, to think on, to turn over in our minds what God has said to us. We can’t do that if we don’t remember it.
Here are some tips that I’ve found helpful.
Read in context. I’m thankful that my first pastors emphasized reading a book of the Bible at a time rather than reading randomly. I usually average a chapter a day on weekdays, depending on the chapter length and subject matter. It’s easy to read a few chapters of a Bible narrative, but I like to slow down in the densely-packed epistles. If we take a moment at the beginning of our reading time to look at what we read the day before, then we get back into the flow.
Pray as you read. We often think of prayer and Bible reading as two separate components of devotions, and do one after the other. But we can pray as we read. If we read about a particular sin we’re struggling with, we can pray about it right then. If we’re reading praise to the Lord, we can read those passages to Him. If we come across something we want to incorporate into our children’s lives, we can ask God for wisdom and for receptive hearts.
Read actively. If we’re following a Bible-reading plan, it’s easy to fall into a passive “get the assignment done” mentality. But if we ask ourselves questions as we read, or look for particular things, we’re more engaged, and the information stays with us.
Some years ago, I heard someone say that Jesus never claimed to be God. I knew He didn’t declare Himself as openly and plainly as some wished He would. But He did proclaim His deity. So the next time I read the gospels, I put a “C” by every place where Jesus made a claim about Himself and a “P” by every verse which indicated a fulfillment of OT prophecy. Actively looking for that emphasis revitalized my reading.
We can also look for the writer’s main point or ask ourselves questions like, “What does this passage teach me about God? About myself? About how to live for Him?” Another good question is “Why is this here?” The Bible says that God’s thoughts are more than can be numbered. One pastor used to say the Bible is divinely brief: out of all the things God could have shared with us, the Bible contains what He wants us to know. 2 Timothy 3:16a tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable.” So God has every part of Scripture there for a reason.
Mark your reading. Some people don’t like to write in their Bibles. That’s understandable. But many of us get more out of them when we underline passages that stand out to us, underline repeated words, draw arrows from the word “therefore” back to what it refers to, etc. One solution might be to have a study Bible you use for devotions and a different, unmarked Bible you use at church.
Make notes. I used to journal what I studied in my devotional time, but I found I was spending more time writing than reading. So I abandoned the practice for a while. Yet writing does help us process what we read and make it more permanent.
Journaling for the Soul: A Handbook of Journaling Methods by Deborah Haddix shares a plethora of journaling styles that would appeal to a variety of personalities. I ended up with something similar to a bullet journal. I look for one main takeaway from my Daily Light on the Daily Path reading as well as whatever Bible passage I’ve read that day and jot them down in a simple, cheap spiral notebook. Sometimes I’ll write a little more if I feel I need to, but I try to keep it brief.
Review. When I finish my Bible reading for the day, I quickly review what I’ve read. But that review doesn’t always stay with me through the day. In Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles: 25 Keys to Having Memorable Devotions, John O’Malley recommends writing down a few key points from your Bible reading on a 3×5 note card and then putting it where you’ll see it throughout the day. You could do the same with a Post-It note or the notes app on your phone. Some might want to set a reminder on their phones to go off a few times a day with the main points they read. That would bug me, personally. I keep my phone notifications to a minimum because I get irritated at my phone dinging through the day.
What works for me is this: I keep my Daily Light, ESV Study Bible, and whatever commentary or Bible study book I’m using, along with my little spiral notebook, stacked on my desk. When I go to my desk throughout the day and see those books, I’ll take a moment to remind myself what the main points were that I wrote down. If I can’t remember, I’ll look in my notebook.
Share with others. When I was in a Christian college, the dorm students had assigned tables for dinner which switched every few weeks so we could get to know more people. Each table had a host and hostess who were supposed to try to keep conversations going. Some were better at this than others. My very first host and hostess were the best. The host would bring up that day’s chapel message and invite everyone else’s comments. I probably remembered the chapel messages more during those weeks than at any other time during my college years.
When I talk about what I’ve read, whether with my family or with a Bible study group, I remember more of it. I don’t know if a formal family “What did everyone learn in their devotions today” conversation would work. That might become too mechanical. But it’s natural for what we’re thinking about to come out in our talk.
Memorize. Of course, most of us can’t memorize a Bible verse every day. But we might mark a key verse in our reading, or one that especially spoke to our hearts, and try to commit it to memory over the next few days.
Have you tried any of these helps to remember what you read from the Bible? Or have you tried something else? What works best for you?
(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)
Stray Thoughts 
Amen. We can learn something new every time we read Scripture. I’m thankful for God’s messages. Have a blessed day! 🙂
And we benefit from being reminded of the old lessons, too. But I am often surprised by a verse that I don’t remember ever seeing before, though I know I have.
Thank you for this post. I so often see people on social media emphasize point eight — memorizing a verse — as if that is the main or almost only way to take Scripture with you through the day.
But your post made me feel seen and understood. For those of us who don’t memorize easily, it is encouraging to be reminded that we are not necessarily doing it wrong. Simply reading attentively, prayerfully, and thoughtfully matters too.
I also really appreciated what you said about sharing with others. Sometimes what we read stays with us more deeply when it naturally comes out in conversation.
Thank you for this thoughtful and encouraging post.
I’m so thankful this was encouraging to you. I don’t memorize easily any more, either–especially now that I’ve switched the main translation I use.
When I first actively decided to read the Bible, I use to write the scriptures and that helped to get me started. I also did the S.O.A.P. method. I always wrote in my journaling Bible and it’s nice to go back to those years and see what I wrote and how I interpreted. I have lacked in doing that, but it is so nice to dig into the Bible and understand the stories and the correlation. I use to have a great memory, but at 80, I sometimes find I don’t remember so well. A concordance is nice tool also. Your post is so right. Reading and digging into what you’re reading is so much more intersting than how when young that I use to just (look) at the Bible instead of really reading it and getting to know the people in it and their stories and how they relate to God/Jesus. Happy Sunday.
I love how we get more and more out of the Bible as we keep reading it through the years. The connections between passages come out more clearly as we become more familiar with the Word.
Barbara, thank you for this helpful information in this post. I do use one of the things that you mentioned. I enjoy writing out Scripture each day and I have started a few months ago to write it out and then record it on my phone’s notes app. I just write out where the Scripture is found and then in my own words do a commentary about the verse or verses. I have found that simple little practice helps it to stick with me throughout the day.
After reading here this morning, I now want to implement the same practice where my daily Bible reading is concerned. I’m currently toward the end of the book of Psalms and I want to try this practice with it. Thanks so much!
That does sound like a great practice. I mainly write down the key verse or a summary sentence. But sometimes it helps me process to write more about what I read.
I just saw a video this afternoon on how good it is for our brain and memory process when we write things out. I know it does make a difference for me.
This was such a helpful post, Barbara. I write as I read and study. Write in my journal, on a piece of paper, and in my Bible. It seems to be the way I learn and remember. To someone, my Bible probably looks a mess with underlining and comments and pieces of papers with notes. But to me, it is like a precious diary of God’s faithfulness to me. It is a record of my journey with God.
One of my older Bibles is like that–notes and markings everywhere. It’s not in good condition any more, but I can’t bear to part with it.
Very helpful and yes, many times I regret that although I keep reading the Bible–I wonder how much I retain. Then again, other times I’m encouraged because a question will come up and a verse bout that very question will pop into my mind (thank goodness for the internet though because remember references is not something I’m good at). I just started the Jen Wilkin study on Revelation and one of her suggestions is to read the daily portion aloud each day. I’m doing that, and it’s a different/new way to “take in” scripture.” This year I’m “reading” the Bible by listening to it on audio. I’ve never done that so I find that different things stand out to me that way. One other thing; this week (I think) I’m reviewing a “tracing Bible” where you are meant to trace/write the actual text in the Bible. Honestly I’m not sure I’m up for that–but I can see that by writing/copying things, they do get into our inner selves better. Thank you for the great tips shared here!
I am terrible about remembering references. I can remember verses, but not always where to find them. I’m thankful as well for being able to look them up quickly online.
That’s a good idea to read aloud. I do that sometimes when I am struggling to pay attention, when my mind wants to wander. But I hadn’t considered it as a way to help us remember. It makes sense–if we read aloud, we’re engaging sight, hearing, and speech.
Thanks for all the helpful tips. Most helpful of all (to me) is the realization that I’m not the only one who struggles with this…
That is a comfort to me, too.
Someone once suggested I illustrate my main takeaway in my journal. I did that for years and I was amazed at how that simple drawing of stick figures anchored my reading in my memory. I need to go back to that habit.
These are great tips and very important!
Some good ideas here. I find marking in my Bible easier for me
I totally agree with you on the active reading part. I’m much better at analysis and reading with a particular purpose. Makes me want to come back to the same passage with a different goal. Thanks for compiling this list.
This is all so helpful, Barbara. I appreciate that there are so many different options to try … a strategy that doesn’t appeal to one person might be another person’s favorite. I personally underline a lot as I’m reading my Bible. Several years ago, I once underlined and wrote down every name and description of God as I read through my Bible. That practice really helped me during a difficult time in my life. I have a feeling I may do it again sometime.