"I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." ~Psalm 119:11
Memorizing Scripture is something we value-- We know it is commanded. We know how much it helps. We know how often God calls to mind a particular passage at a much needed moment.
Here are five suggestions for helping your family memorize God's Word (from our family to yours)...
1.) Choose verses that are key (and sometimes less is more). When our children were very little, we memorized foundation verses-- "Foundation Verses are strategically chosen Bible verses for children preschool through age five. The pack includes short verses with picture prompts to help non-readers remember the passage." 75 verses total. One verse per week. Often adding hand motions to go along with the words. The whole family focusing on the same verse.
2.) Which leads to-- as a family, focus on the same verse or passage. There was a time, when we had to decide, as parents, that we wanted our family to focus on one-same-verse-per-week together. The reality was that with four children involved in multiple settings and classes, and each class asking us to help each child memorize a weekly verse, we were looking at close to 20 different verses per week that we could-should-be-helping them memorize. And it felt overwhelming. And we weren't effectively memorizing any of the verses, let alone all of them. So, we explained our decision to the various teachers/leaders and found them all to be very supportive. It was amazing the difference it made to have one passage to focus on together as a family. And the next year, our school decided to have one-family-verse per week instead of each teacher choosing a verse per grade.
3.) Surround your family visually with God's Word...especially the verse you are currently working on. We use whiteboards, frames with glass & no backing, old tile remnants or glass squares from my husband's construction jobs, and blank business cards to help make our current verse visual. I usually have the verse memorized by the time I'm finished writing it in all our different "spots".
4.) Use Music.
We still listen to the Seeds Family Worship Collection. Often.
There is just something about putting God's Word (or really almost anything) to music that makes it easier to remember.
And if you can't find music to the verses you are trying to memorize, make up your own melody or use one your children are already familiar with, but switch out the words for a verse. The melody of Edelweiss (think...Sound of Music) works well.
I maybe can't recite all of Psalm 103, but I can still sing it to you...and when God knows I need those words, they are still deeply hidden in my heart.
5.) As a family, discuss the reasons for memorizing God's Word. It helps so much to understand the value of hiding God's Word in your heart. There are so many verses that point to how much God wants us to memorize. We can pray and ask Him to help us!
"You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates..." ~Deuteronomy 11:19 and 20
What has helped your family commit to memorizing God's Word? We'd love to hear your suggestions or ideas in the comments below...
Love, Kara @ The Chuppies
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