Did you ever stop to think about how effortlessly children can memorize? Ask any toddler the names of the Paw Patrol Dogs or the members of Peppa Pig’s family. They know it all!
Annie at Seeking Divine Perspective commented that she can have trouble remembering Scripture she memorized as an adult, but she can easily spout off the ones she learned as a child. That has been my experience as well. I memorized the 23rd Psalm as a child and I’ve never forgotten it. (That was more than 60 years ago!)
My daughter, who is now 35, can recite many Scriptures she memorized as a child. (She also knows the whole movie, The Little Mermaid! But that’s another story!)
She told me that the thing that stands out to her the most are all the Bible songs she learned and the Christian TV shows for children such as Storybook (still available on Youtube). Many of those songs are Scripture verses and/or foundational truths. For example, Jesus Loves Me, The B-I-B-L-E, and many more.
Here’s the thing: If children have the ability to memorize easily and then remember it into adulthood, why aren’t we taking advantage of it?
Some Children’s Sunday School curriculum seems more interested in entertaining children than teaching them what they need to know. Some curriculum doesn’t include Scripture memorization at all.
Memorizing Bible verses can seem old-fashioned to some, but it is more important than ever. And it can be a lot of fun when you add hand motions or sing the verse. What is “normal” in today’s world is becoming more and more contrary to Biblical teaching. Memorizing Scripture hides God’s Truth in our hearts.
God has clearly said how important it is to teach our children His Word.
“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)
I have been reading through Proverbs and I thought, “I wish I would have memorized some of these Proverbs before I left home at 17 to attend college. Perhaps then, the Holy Spirit would have brought some of these verses to my mind before I made poor decisions.” Proverbs 2:12-15 stands out.
12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.”
Memorizing Scripture enables us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Many times, God has spoken to me by bringing a specific Scripture to my mind.
The Holy Spirit has even used a Children’s Bible Song that I learned as a child to speak to my heart. In fact, that’s how my blog all began. As I lay in bed with Mononucleosis, I couldn’t get this little song out of my head:
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine!
Hide it under a bushel?
No! I'm gonna let it shine.
That’s when I thought, “I’m a closet Christian!” I realized I never shared all the things God had done for me. And the idea to write a blog was born! You can read about it here.
More Scripture on Teaching Children
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Speaking of God’s words, Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
Matthew 18:5-6 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Psalm 78:2-4 for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.
The world is teaching our children many harmful ideas. May the Lord help us teach our children His ways. May He help us to protect their hearts and minds.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
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