My kids began to sing nursery rhymes as soon as they could talk. In their tiny little voices, I could hear them sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” as they walked around the house. They learned those songs simply because they heard them and because we would sing them together. Through continual repetition, they quickly became integrated into our kids’ minds. 

Memorizing those songs was simple and easy for my kids to do. The work to remember was not portrayed as work; instead, it was fun and something they asked for. This is the mindset that we as parents should have when it comes to verse memorization. The Word of God should be as sweet as honey for our lips and flow from our mouths like a beautiful melody. 

Memorizing Scripture is a practice that most believers struggle to do. It is difficult to take the time and practice to hide God’s Word in our hearts, yet we can instantly remember the lyrics of a song from five years ago. We often view memorizing Scripture as challenging and nearly impossible to mark off our to-do list. 

But perhaps memorizing Scripture should be removed from our to-do list and instead integrated into our natural practices of the day. It is safe to say that we will brush our teeth, shower, put on clothes, and eat without a reminder. We don’t need to be reminded of those things because they are habits integrated into our life. This is what verse memorization should be in the life of a believer. Our lives need to be saturated in the Word of God so much that it naturally flows from our lips. Out of delight in our Savior, we must train our minds to wander to God’s Word which we meditate on (Proverbs 6:21-22). 

It requires work to accomplish a life saturated by God’s Word, but this work doesn’t have to be daunting. Instead, we can view it as a gift. We get to memorize God’s Word. We get to douse our minds with the Word of God daily. We get to reap the benefits of dwelling on God’s Word as we see how it changes the way we interact with others, how we react to situations, and how we love our family. 

Create the Habit of Reading 

So how do we get there? To memorize God’s Word, we must read it. We should dwell daily in God’s Word. This means we habitually read and study God’s Word outside of Sunday morning. This means that we will have to choose God’s Word over something else, like sleeping in or a TV show during nap time. Spending time in God’s Word and memorizing it calls Christians to live out what we claim—that we love God more than anything else. We cannot memorize what we have not read or heard, so we must fill our minds with it. Some days we might not feel up to reading and studying God’s Word, while others, we want to spend hours diving deep. Either way, we must learn to prioritize God’s Word regardless of the day or how we feel. 

As busy parents, we often have to forgo the Instagram-worthy pictures of reading our Bible. Instead, we might open our Bible up while kids play or listen to it while we wash dishes. The point is that we make it a priority. We need to long for the Word of God and desire it more than the best foods out there. God’s Word can be the light of hope that fills our day as we press on in parenting. 

Hide it in Your Heart

We often hear the importance of our children hiding God’s Word in their hearts at church-related programs, yet we rarely see the emphasis on the parents. As a parent, how can I tell my kids to memorize something I lack in my own life? One of our responsibilities as our children’s primary disciple-maker is that we prioritize God’s Word in the way that we hope they will as well. 

When my daughter was a toddler, I often would play her music focused on specific Bible verses. After listening to them a few times, we would quickly have hand motions or dance moves for the songs, and the lyrics would flow from our lips. In those moments, I became convicted of my lack of Scripture memorization but also encouraged by the ease of it. All it took was dedication. 

Throughout the Psalms we see David reminding himself of the Word of God. The promises of Scripture gave him hope amid battles, sin, and running for his life. He pressed on and clung to the truths in Scripture. When Elisabeth Elliott lost her husband and continued to serve as a missionary with her young daughter, she dwelt on God’s Word. She clung to the truths hidden in her heart and could press on because of the hope in God’s Word. In the same way, whatever we might face in parenting, we too can cling to God’s Word; we can abide in him because we dwell in his Word. 

Practical Tools for Memorizing 

The concept of memorizing Scripture always sounds good, but the action of it is where it tends to get fuzzy in our busy lives. This is why we need to remove it from our to-do lists and, instead, integrate it organically into our daily rhythms. Listen to Scripture-based songs while you drive around, write verses out and place them throughout your home, or make up songs with your kids while you play with them. We have so many opportunities throughout our days to organically integrate verse memorization. 

Another good way to keep Scripture at the forefront is to have your family join you and learn a verse together. It could become a fun way to bond together as a family on car rides or at home. We can find accountability within our local churches and communities and even encourage Scripture memorization within our friendships. Everyone’s way of memorizing Scripture will be different, but the point is that we learn to integrate this long-lost tool into our lives. Because when we do, we will declare, how sweet is the Word of God on our lips, and what a beautiful light it shines as we walk our lives in parenting (Psalms 119:103-105).

Courtney Chambers is a pastor’s wife and mom of three living in northeast Missouri. Courtney has a Bachelors in World Missions and a Masters in Biblical Counseling.  Courtney is passionate about biblical theology and reaching the next generation. In her free time she enjoys reading, writing, and baking. You can find her @courtneyrchambers and @thereformedlife