5 Memory Verses From the Old Testament

Memorizing Bible verses is an important spiritual discipline that should be practiced by anyone who wants the Scriptures to have a central role in their lives.

Many Christians choose to memorize Scripture passages that are almost exclusively from the New Testament. I certainly understand how this happens. The New Testament can feel more approachable than the Old Testament -- more practical in terms of following Jesus in our everyday lives. Even so, we do ourselves a disservice if we choose to ignore the two-thirds of the Bible found in the Old Testament. As D. L. Moody once wrote, "It takes a whole Bible to make a whole Christian."

That being the case, here are five powerful, practical, and memorable verses from the Bible's Old Testament. 

Genesis 1:1

You've probably heard that the most important sentence in every novel is the first sentence. That's because the first sentence is the first chance an author has to capture the reader's attention and communicate something important.

Well, the same is true of the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

This may seem like a simple sentence, but it pretty much tells us everything we need to know in this life: 1) There is a God, 2) He's powerful enough to create the entire universe, and 3) He cares about us enough to tell us about Himself.

Psalm 19:7-8

Because we're talking about memorizing the Bible, it's appropriate that this list includes one of the more poetic descriptions of God's Word found in the Scriptures:

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:7-8

Isaiah 40:31

The call to trust God is a major theme of the Old Testament. Thankfully, the prophet Isaiah found a way to summarize that theme in just a few powerful sentences:

Those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Psalm 119:11

The entire chapter we know as Psalm 119 is essentially a love song written about God's Word, so the whole thing would make a great choice as a Bible memory passage. However, Psalm 119 also happens to be the longest chapter in the Bible -- 176 verses, to be exact. So memorizing the whole thing would be an ambitious project.

Fortunately, verse 11 cuts to the foundation truth we all need to remember:

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

One of the key benefits of memorizing God's Word is that we allow opportunities for the Holy Spirit to remind us of that Word during the times we need it most.

Micah 6:8

When it comes to boiling down the entire message of God's Word into a single verse, you can't do much better than this:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8