Tom Meyer, a Christian professor, known as “The Bible Memory Man,” believes committing Scripture to memory can transform believers’ faith and lives.
Meyer has memorised 20 books of the Bible in their entirety, and now he’s on a mission to help others do the same. Tom explains why he believes passionately in memorisation:
“Number one, it puts the mind of God within reach, no matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing – you have instant access to the living God.”
And while Meyer knows some will argue that the Bible is easier to access than ever before with the advent of smartphones, he said there’s something deeply profound about committing the Bible to memory.
“You might say, ‘I have it on my phone.’ I know. That’s good. It’s great, but it’s different. You know it is because you don’t have your phone with you 24/7 … but to be able to instantly think upon the mind of the living God – that’s great.”
The professor teaches at Shasta Bible College in Redding, California, where he helps students see the power of remembering the precise words of Scripture.
Skyler Rowen, one of his past students, says that the Bible memorisation efforts he’s learned have really helped inspire his faith.
“When I have that time to recite and just the way it changes how you think because now it’s like, okay, now I’m making a much more dedicated, concerted effort to…spending my thoughts and my words on scripture,” he said, noting that having Scripture committed to memory can help him make the right decision in every situation.
Meyer said memorisation is also essential because Scripture committed to one’s mind holds the power to help believers inspire others who are struggling.
“The most precious, beautiful thing that you can say to someone comes from the word of God,” he said.
Bible memorisation, though, can feel intimidating, especially when it comes to retaining every word of an entire book in the Bible. Meyer offered advice to anyone who might be interested in this journey yet is nervous about the process and prospects.
“Number one, pray. Pray that God would help you. Number two, pick something small with light at the end of the tunnel, like Titus or Jonah or something. If you did just one verse a week from those, you could have the whole book memorised in a year – just one verse a week.”