8 Steps to Help You Remember What You Read in the Bible

Many people want to get into a daily habit of reading the Bible and spending quiet time with God. But some people, despite their good intentions, end up quitting shortly after they start. The reason for this is that they have trouble remembering what they read.

There could be several reasons that contribute to forgetting what they’ve read. They might get easily distracted, they can’t understand it, they have trouble processing it, or maybe they just have trouble relating to the characters.

I used to have trouble reading the Bible too. Reading a few verses at a time wasn’t a problem, but I avoided trying to read anything more than that.  I just wasn’t able to absorb it.

But a few years ago, I decided to give it another try. I changed up a few things and I’m so glad I did. Reading the Bible these last few years has given me a lot of joy and daily Bible reading and study is part of my life now.

I’ve listed steps I’ve taken to help me in my Bible reading. Try these steps for yourself to help you start retaining the Scriptures and start growing in God’s word.

Step 1: Pick A Place and Time

Find a place to read your Bible. A place that is comfortable and free from distractions-as much as possible.

Then choose a time that works best for you. What time of day can you concentrate the most? Are you a morning person or a night owl? Is there a time that you are less likely to be disturbed? You can always try a different time later if that’s not working for you.

Step 2: Prayer

Before you even open your Bible, ask God for guidance as you read and study His word. Say a prayer to help you to retain what you’ve read. Also, pray for understanding and ways to apply what you’ve read to your life.

Step 3: Choose A Method of Interacting With Your Bible

Here are three main ways to interact with the Bible. You may prefer one over another because it best suits your learning style. You may even decide that using more than one way works best for you. The three ways are:

Reading, listening, and watching a movie or show.

• Reading: Use this method the traditional way of just picking up a Bible and reading it. As an alternative, you could read it on a Bible app or website on your phone or other device.
• Listening: There are many ways of listening to the Bible. You can use an audiobook, app, or even a CD.
• Watching a movie or show: There are many movies about different books of the Bible available. This method helps bring the Bible to life. I can usually remember a movie better than I can by just reading or listening to the Bible. You can find movies by searching YouTube or Google. Make sure you choose one that is word for word Bible text. You can use the phrase “word for word” in your search.

The Chosen is a TV series about the life of Jesus. This series script is not   word for word Bible, but it still may help you remember the scriptures when you pair it with another word for word method.

Step 4: Study the Bible

The Bible has historical, cultural, and language differences that make it challenging and hard to understand. Studying the Bible will help you to understand it. The more you understand it, the better chance you have at remembering it. Here are some methods to help you study the Bible:

• Use Resources: Some of the resources you can use while studying the bible are:
  • Bible commentary
  • Bible dictionary
  • A study Bible
  • Bible Atlas
  • Bible handbook
  • Bible concordance
  • Bible guides
  • Bible studies

• Read an introduction to a book of the Bible: The introduction to a book of the Bible helps you understand the context of the book as a whole. It gives you background information such as who wrote it, when it was written, who it was written for, and the historical context. The introduction can be found in a study Bible in the front of each book.
• Use pens and highlighters: Don’t be afraid to write in your Bible. Use pens and highlighters to underline, circle, highlight, draw symbols, and take notes on the passage you are reading. Create a color-coded system. It gives you purpose instead of just using random colors to remember the things that are important to you. Here are some things you might want to highlight or underline:
  • verses to memorize
  • names of God
  • unknown words
  • repeated words
  • a certain topic
  • promises
  • commands

If you use a color-coded system or use symbols, make sure to create a key to identify what each color or symbol stands for.

• Take notes: Taking notes is an important part of Bible study. Not only does it make you more alert, help you to record special and important information to review later, but the act of writing also helps you to remember. It has a way of “cementing” thoughts into your brain.

Step 5: Focus

Here are some methods that will help keep you from getting distracted and keep you at the task at hand. All the following methods keep you actively involved in the process of reading and studying the Bible. This will help you to retain the information.

• Write it out in your own words:  The act of writing will help you to remember. And writing in your own words will help you to understand the passage because you will rewrite the scripture into words that make sense to you.
• Read it out loud: When you read out loud, you won’t be mindlessly scanning over the text. It forces you to pay attention to each word. This will help the information “soak in.”
• Make lists or charts: Creating a list or chart will require an action that will help you get involved with the scripture. It will also summarize the information in an organized way. Here are some examples of lists and charts you can make:
  • Miracles Jesus performed
  • The Ten Commandments
  • Prophecies given and fulfilled

• Mark up your Bible: You already know that using highlighters and pens will help you study the Bible, but it will also help you to concentrate on what you are reading. It will help you to pay attention.
• Use a template with questions and prompts:  Answering questions and prompts will help you to study the Bible and keep you actively involved in your Bible reading. Here are some examples:
  • What stands out to me?
  • Words I don’t know.
  • Commands or instructions

Step 6: Unlock New Meaning

Here are some methods that will help you to get understanding of a passage that you just couldn’t see before. It will give you that “a-ha moment” and you’ll say out loud, “Oh, now I get it!”

• Read different translations: There are many different English translations of the Bible. It gives you a lot to choose from. If you aren’t getting anything out of a passage in one version, try switching to a different one. Having a Bible app makes it easy to do this. You can look at several different versions within a matter of minutes.

There are also parallel Bibles which contain more than one version in it to let the reader compare different translations side by side.

• Take a break, then come back to it: If you are having trouble understanding a passage, try reading another passage. After a few days, come back to the one you were having trouble with. It’s amazing how much clarity you can get from reading a passage, taking a break, and then coming back to it. You’ll see things you didn’t see before.
• Read, reread, then read again: When you read the Bible repeatedly, you will pick up new things each time. Here are some different ways to do this:
  • Read out loud
  • Read different translations
  • Read while highlighting and underlining
  • Listen to an audio version

Try a different way each time you reread a passage. After reading repeatedly, the passage may “fall into place” in your mind.

• Get another view:  Sometimes, when you just aren’t getting it, it’s time to look at another point of view. It can give you a different perspective that you missed while reading on your own. This is something you should try after you’ve already read it for yourself. That way you can form your own opinion first and not be heavily influenced by someone else. Make sure the information you get from a source other than the Bible still lines up with what the Bible says. Here are some ways to get other views:
  • Bible commentaries: A written series of explanations and interpretations of scripture.
  • Sermons
  • YouTube videos: Individuals who do bible studies on their YouTube Channel.
  • Bible Project YouTube Channel: The Bible Project makes YouTube videos that give an overview of every book of the bible.
  • Small bible study groups: These are small groups you can form with others to study the bible.

Step 7: Bring It to Life

This step brings the Bible to life. It makes it feel real to you, not just a story. It will help you understand the passage better and make it easier to remember.

• Relate it to your life: It might help you remember the passage if you connect something in it to your own life. It will make it relatable to you and easier to understand.
• Read it in different perspectives: Try reading the passage in someone else’s point of view. Using your imagination this way makes you think, and it puts a different twist on the story.

For example, think about what Paul was thinking in prison when he wrote his letters. Then think about what the Philippians were thinking when they read his letters. Doing this breathes life into the characters. It’s also giving you an active role in the reading and that will help you to retain the information better.

Step 8: Outline the Passage

Now that you finished most of the steps, you should have a pretty good idea of what the passage is about. Outline the passage in your own words. Write the outline on a 3×5 index card. This works well if you use one index card per chapter. Study it for several days, or until you have a good understanding of the passage. Do this with each passage you read. Group the cards by books of the Bible so they will be organized for future reference.

Conclusion

Here’s a review of the steps:

• Step 1: Pick a place and time
• Step 2: Prayer
• Step 3: Choose a method of interacting with the Bible
• Step 4: Study the Bible
• Step 5: Focus
• Step 6: Unlock new meaning
• Step 7: Bring it to life
• Step 8: Outline the passage

Following these steps should help you remember what you read in the Bible. There are also many methods listed here that you can use to gain focus, understanding, and knowledge of God’s word. I hope it helps to give you the confidence and desire you need to start a daily habit of spending time with God and reading His word. Daily Bible reading and study can give you joy and enhance your life, as it does mine.

If you need additional information, four good online Bible resources are Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, YouVersion, and Blue Letter Bible. Searching YouTube or doing a Google Search can be helpful as well.