This is a continuation of a series I'm posting during our study of the book of Romans at Creekside, as we encourage families to memorize the "Shema" together. Previous posts here:I struggled with closed-book tests in school because studying was hard for me. I always appreciated the teachers who were more interested in evaluating your ability to locate the information over your ability to memorize it. In other words, I like open-book tests.
Today, we have the internet, the Bible, and useful Bible tools readily available. We can find what the Bible says about any topic, in a snap. We might be tempted to dismiss scripture memorization as an old-school (old-church?) practice.
But there's value in memorizing God's Word - regardless of how many tools you have at your disposal. When we internalize God's Word, God's Spirit uses it to speak to our hearts.
When I am afraid, God whispers to me "I did not give You a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control..." (2 Timothy 1:7)
When I am distracted and frustrated, God says "I will keep you in perfect peace, if you keep your mind focused on me..." (Isaiah 26:3)
When I am ready to give up, God says "Consider it joy that you are being tested, because testing develops perseverance..." (James 1:2-3)
And when I am tempted to think that we don't need to help our kids memorize scripture, God says "hide My Word in your heart, so that you will not sin against Me..." (Psalm 119:11)
I did all of those from memory - not to show off, but to tell you that memorizing scripture helps me live my life guided by the Spirit.
And in case you think teaching kids to memorize scripture is a fruitless effort, let me tell you my own experience: when I was 5, I was very briefly involved in a kids program that emphasized scripture memory. The very first verse I learned was John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
That's the King James Version. I don't read the King James Version. My family didn't attend church, and we never talked about Jesus at home. But that verse stuck. When I was 17, I came to Christ. I still didn't know what "begotten" meant. In my early 20s, the words really clicked, and it all made sense. This is why I memorize scripture now, and this is why I encourage you and your family to do the same.
Kids are sponges. What would you like yours to absorb?
Thursday, I'll post a few ideas for making memorization fun at home.
Have you memorized a verse that God keeps bringing back to you? Tell me about it! Leave me a comment below.
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