Memorize John 16:20

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.

John 16:20, New Living Translation

35 words · a five-day project, a phrase or two at a time · Share as an image

Free, no account, nothing to install. The path opens with this verse already in it.

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.

John 16:20 in context

Jesus prepares the disciples for rejection and explains that his departure will bring needed help and guidance. He describes sorrow turning to joy, promises access in prayer, and ends with assurance of peace and courage amid trouble.

Read John 16:20 in its chapter · John 16, in the New Living Translation.

Verses that keep it company

• Psalm 30:11Bible verses for grief
• Psalm 42:5Bible verses for grief
• Psalm 56:8Bible verses for grief
• Psalm 126:5Bible verses for grief
• Isaiah 25:8Bible verses for grief
• Isaiah 40:1Bible verses for grief

John 16:20 is on Bible verses for grief.

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.