Memorize Habakkuk 3:17-18

Even if the fig tree does not blossom, And there is no fruit on the vines, If the yield of the olive fails, And the fields produce no food, Even if the flock disappears from the fold, And there are no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will triumph in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:17-18, New American Standard Bible 2020

61 words · worth a week or two, built up phrase by phrase · Share as an image

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The five steps

1. Meet the verse. Hear it read aloud, then echo it phrase by phrase, with a small hand motion for each phrase.
2. Fill the gaps. About a third of the words become blanks. Say it out loud, supplying them; peek if you need to, trying is the point.
3. Half hidden. Most of the words are gone now. Say it once more at bedtime; sleep locks it in overnight.
4. First letters. Every word reduced to its first letter. Recite it with only those to guide you.
5. All by yourself. Nothing but the reference. One confident recite, then it goes into your Verse Book to come back for review.

Each step makes a fine "tonight's step" spread over five days, and nothing is locked: the numbered dots jump anywhere. How to memorize Bible verses walks through the whole method.

Why it works

Three of the most replicated findings in learning science: retrieval practice (pulling a word from memory strengthens it more than rereading it), spacing (short tries on separate days beat one long one), and sleep (a verse said at bedtime is consolidated overnight). The blanks grow in stages so that every try is hard enough to count and never so hard that you give up.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 in context

Habakkuk prays for mercy and recalls divine power marching through creation to save. Mountains tremble, waters roar, and nations shake before the vision. Though the prophet trembles and every crop and herd may fail, he resolves to rejoice in God, who makes his feet secure on the heights.

Read Habakkuk 3:17-18 in its chapter · Habakkuk 3, in the New American Standard Bible 2020.

Verses that keep it company

• Psalm 4:7Bible verses about joy
• Psalm 16:11Bible verses about joy
• Psalm 51:12Bible verses about joy
• Psalm 118:24Bible verses about joy
• Psalm 126:3Bible verses about joy
• Isaiah 12:3Bible verses about joy

Habakkuk 3:17-18 is on Bible verses about joy.

In other translations

BSB · Berean Standard BibleKJV · King James VersionNET · New English TranslationWEB · World English BibleESV · English Standard VersionASV · American Standard (1901)YLT · Young's Literal Translation

The reference is the same in every one; the path lets you switch mid-way, and pasting any wording you like works too.