Having Scripture on the Brain

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In my post from yesterday I quoted some lines about the closeness of God at all times. The thing is, when I thought of these lines, they were playing in my head; I heard the music as clearly as the words. They are from a song called "You Are Near" by Dan Schutte, from an oevre of liturgical music written around the 1970s and 80s, bemoaned by some as lacking in beauty or theological precision or other character necessary and appropriate to liturgical use. They are also the words of Psalm 139.

I happen to think that many of the criticisms of recent church music are valid, but I think the value of this song and many others like it outweighs the complaints. And that value is this: the words are pretty much straight from the Bible. Learning them plants the Word firmly in the memory. I learned these songs in grade school, and whatever their faults may be, they have supplied my memory with some of its most deeply ingrained supply of Scripture. I can sing Psalm 139 better than I can recite it.

Memorizing Scripture has long been recognized as an excellent spiritual discipline, especially for the reason I experienced in my "dream" crisis—when you need God's Word to answer your questions, settle your doubts, assuage your fears, strengthen your resolve. So whatever tools I can use to feed Scripture into my memory are tools I want to use, for myself and my kids. And, to be frank, the easier the better!

Music is a really effective way to do that. Besides the songs I learned when I was young, I found one great resource for children several years ago, for Scripture verses set to music: Steve Green's "Hide 'Em in Your Heart," Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (I couldn't find a link for that one). These CD/DVD combos were at our local Christian bookstore for $5 each—a steal, and the kids loved them. I still use them.

As a homeschooler, I also use a system of memorization I learned from advocates of Charlotte Mason's method of education (although, full disclosure, not as consistently as I would like). Here's an explanation of how  you can choose the verses you want to learn, and then practice reciting them on a rotation of graduated frequency, adding new ones the more you master. (It works for poetry, too.)

I'm always open to other ways of learning or reinforcing Scripture memory verses. I have one child who really likes coloring, for example, so I'm finding Bible verse coloring pages on Pinterest for her. She's the first one to really take to this activity, but her enthusiasm sometimes gives a boost to her brothers and sisters. If you have a favorite way to learn Scripture, email me or drop me a line in the comments!