The Divine Gift of Memory
WHEN God fashioned man’s body from the dust of the ground he placed complex organs in it that were designed to perform specific duties. The most intricate of them, the brain, was given the wonderful gift of memory. By means of it man could store away for future use whatever information was conveyed to his mind.
God did not limit the capacity of man’s memory. He did not make it like a vessel that can be filled until nothing more can be put in. Instead he designed it to be a reservoir that could never be filled, that could be drawn from at will without losing anything that was put in it.
Man could not exist without this gift of memory. It is a marvelous thing that brings credit to his Creator and is in itself good reason to say to God: “I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made.”—Ps. 139:14.
Memory powers vary greatly. Just as some people have healthier bodies than others, so some have better minds. But this does not mean a person cannot improve his memory. He can if he tries. As the body can be improved by physical exercise, so the power to remember can be improved by mental exercise.
Few people realize what immense capabilities God gave the human mind. It can remember far more than people generally expect of it. Throughout history there have been a number of people who have shown what it can do. Take, for example, Thomas Macaulay. He could listen to a long debate in England’s parliament and then days later repeat it word for word. Then there was Richard Porson, who could remember the complete text of Homer, Cicero, Horace and Virgil, as well as the works of Shakespeare, Milton and Gibbon. That was not a small achievement.
Elijah the Gaon, a Lithuanian rabbi, also had a prodigious memory. He could remember the entire Bible, as well as the Talmud, Midrash and a number of other Jewish writings. All together he memorized about three thousand volumes.
During the Middle Ages a religious sect known as the Bogomils expected its members to develop and use their memories. They were required to memorize large sections of the Bible. The historian Dragomanov claims that 4,000 of them memorized the entire Bible and that the entire sect had committed at least the Greek Scriptures to memory.
These instances may appear to be fantastic feats of memory, yet they are only a few of many that could be mentioned. What they prove is the astonishing power to remember that God gave the human mind. It reveals the greatness of his works. “How great your works are, O Jehovah! Very deep your thoughts are. There is none like you among the gods, O Jehovah, neither are there any works like yours.”—Ps. 92:5; 86:8.
MEMORY OF BIBLE WRITERS
The men who were used to write the Bible were men with good memories. When they sat down to record the things they saw and heard they could remember every detail. When the apostle John wrote the fourth Gospel it was sixty-five years after Jesus had died. Nevertheless, it contains detailed conversations. It records the things Jesus said to his followers and to his opposers, the things he did and the things that happened to him. It is rich in details. John remembered these things because they made a vivid impression on his mind. With the inspirational help of God’s spirit he was able to recall them in crisp clarity.
The ones who saw the miracles Christ performed and who heard him teach would have an impelling reason to remember what they saw and heard. They knew that the words he spoke were words of life. “Simon Peter answered him: ‘Master, Whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life, and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God.’”—John 6:68, 69.
The Bible writers Mark and Luke were not among those who heard Jesus speak. Yet the information they wrote in their books was an accurate record of what happened. They were able to gather much of it from people who had heard him. These people were interested in his teachings and had made it a point to remember them.
In view of the fact that many men since the days of the Bible writers have had remarkable memories it should not seem incredible that the Bible writers were able to recall the many details they wrote down. Remember, too, they had God’s inspiring spirit to sharpen their minds.
Even in this twentieth century there have been men with unusual memories. Theodore Roosevelt, for instance, could read a page once and repeat nearly word for word what he had read. Since he could do this, could not the Bible writers do the same with what they heard?
DEVELOPING A GOOD MEMORY
It should be the keen desire of God’s modern-day servants to improve their memories and thus make the best use of this divine gift. There is much in God’s Word that should be remembered and used to his honor and glory. There are also his commands that must not be forgotten. “Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding. Do not forget and do not turn aside from the sayings of my mouth.” “The purpose is that you may remember and may certainly do all my commandments.”—Prov. 4:5; Num. 15:40.
When there is a gathering of God’s people, such as the assembly that is to be held this summer in New York city, a great amount of information is given that should be remembered. It will not be remembered unless an effort is made by those in attendance to fasten it indelibly in their minds. Even though some of the information may be a repetition of what they already know, they must not allow their interest to lag. Interest is essential to remembering. The divine gift of memory cannot function efficiently without it. Lack of interest is one of the reasons why so many people have trouble remembering things. They do not build up enough interest in the things about them, in the things they read and in the things they hear.
OBSERVATION
The failure to be observant is another reason for poor ability to remember. The average person does not quickly and accurately observe things. He only partially sees because he does not focus his attention on what he looks at. This leaves an indistinct impression on his mind. When he tries to remember what he saw he gets only a hazy image. What he cannot remember is then filled in by imagination. How can he expect to remember accurately what he did not impress clearly on his mind to begin with?
When being introduced to a person, do you give the person a casual glance and pay little attention to his name, and then later wonder why you cannot remember his face and name? You do not forget someone because your mind is not able to remember people, but rather because you do not pay attention when you are being introduced. You do not make up your mind that you want to remember him.
All that is necessary is observation and concentration at the time of the introduction. Observe his height, his build, the shape of his face, the color of his eyes and hair, the shape of his ears, nose, chin and mouth. Note any scars or defects he may have. Listen carefully to his name. Concentrate on it. Try to associate it with his features. Use his name several times during the conversation. Later in the day mentally review your mental image of him and his name. It is only by making a vivid impression in your mind that you can remember him. That is true of anything you see. When you look at something, see every detail. Focus your complete attention upon it. Teach your senses to be sharply observant.
The apostle Paul is an example of one who was observant. When he was in Athens he paid attention to what he saw as he passed through the city. He noticed small details, such as the one object of devotion, among the many in the city, that was dedicated to an Unknown God. “Men of Athens, I behold that in all things you seem to be more given to the fear of the deities than others are. For instance, while passing along and carefully observing your objects of devotion I also found an altar on which had been inscribed ‘To an Unknown God’.”—Acts 17:22.
ASSOCIATION
When you associate what you read and hear with things that are already familiar to you or with knowledge you already have, the power of recall is greatly strengthened. The new material comes out more easily when you need it because the familiar thing with which you associated it acts as a hook and draws it out.
Suppose you wanted to remember the general outline of Italy. You could do it easily by associating the country’s shape with that of a boot. Or if you wanted to remember the number of direct quotations of the Hebrew Scriptures that can be found in the Greek Scriptures you can associate the 365 quotations with the number of days in a year.
Visualization also helps recall. It is the linking of the thing to be remembered with a visual image. For example, if a person you are introduced to has a name that is similar to a famous brand of soup you can make a vivid image of this person in your mind holding an extremely large can of this particular soup. The next time you meet him his name will come to you at once. Names generally lend themselves quite readily to visualization.
When you have certain duties to perform during a day, why use a notebook as a reminder? Why not trust your memory? Give it the exercise it needs. A notebook is a poor substitute for that divine gift. In fact, people are too much inclined to depend upon notes and the printed page to keep information that should have been put in their heads. This bad habit does not build up the ability to remember. You must learn to trust your memory.
Make mental images of the duties you must perform or the items you want to buy and then associate them with the familiar objects in a room of your house, beginning in one corner and working around the room. These familiar objects will serve as pigeonholes for the things to be remembered. Go through the series of items a few times, concentrating on them and giving them action so they will link together. Then go about your business, trusting your memory and not being bothered with a lot of notes that are frequently forgotten anyway.
MEDITATION
One of the reasons that God’s servants of Bible times had good memories was that they meditated. They mentally reviewed and thought about the things they had learned. The Bible mentions an occasion when Isaac did this. “And Isaac was out walking in order to meditate in the field at about the falling of evening.” (Gen. 24:63) He walked out from his camp that he might be alone and in a quiet spot. There he concentrated on the information stored away in his memory. He reviewed the things God had said and done and thus imbedded them more deeply in his mind. David also did this. “I have remembered days of long ago; I have meditated on all your activity; I willingly kept myself concerned with the work of your own hands.”—Ps. 143:5.
God’s servants today should follow the example of these faithful men. They should mentally review from time to time the things they learn about the Creator and his Word. Meditate upon specific things, reviewing every small detail.
When attending an assembly, make it a practice to review later in the day the things learned from the talks that have been given. Try to get a clear impression and a firm grasp of them. That will make them stick in your memory. Review is next to concentration in importance. Concentration puts into your mind the thing you want to remember and review fastens it there.
It is as important to remember what you read as it is to remember what you hear. The best study procedure is to go through the written matter first reading just the subheadings or chapter headings to get the general outline of the material. Then read it, focusing all your attention on what you are reading. Look for the ideas, and pause occasionally to review them. After reading the material through, go back and study it carefully. When finished, mentally review it to fix it in mind.
It takes effort to remember what you read as well as anything else you store away in your mind for future use. You cannot expect to remember something without trying to impress it firmly and vividly on your mind. The effort may be painful at first, but it is this effort that strengthens your ability to remember and eventually makes recall much easier.
The divine gift of memory is a credit to the One who gave it to us. It is a marvel and a blessing, and is worthy of every effort made to develop it. Use it wisely, and it will serve you well.