Why Should Your Child Memorize Scripture?

Close your eyes for a moment and recite the alphabet to yourself. Did you have any trouble? Did an alphabet song come to mind? Just for fun, recite some math tables, the months of the year, the eight planets in our solar system or the position of musical notes on a staff.

How Children Memorize

When did you learn these items? If you’re like most adults, you probably learned them in childhood! Some of these items automatically come to mind — and you can’t forget them, even if you try!

Which Scripture verses automatically come to mind? Say them or sing them in a song now. When did you learn these verses?

If you know many Bible verses by heart, good for you! If you don’t, think about the possible reasons. Unfortunately, many of us spent our prime memory years — childhood — internalizing many important facts other than the Bible.

Scripture in the Life of Timothy

But parents can reverse this trend! Have
 you heard of Timothy from the Bible? From
 his earliest years, his Jewish-Christian mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, taught him the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Timothy 1:5). At that time, Jewish religious education began in the home and involved extensive memorization of Scripture, starting the moment a child learned to speak.

When Timothy became an adult, the apostle Paul encouraged him to lean on his early knowledge of the Scriptures, the Scriptures which were able to make him wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15, NIV). It is no surprise that Timothy stayed anchored in God’s Word when the people of Ephesus tried to distort the truth of the gospel. Because of God’s Spirit working in him through the Scriptures, young Timothy displayed a wise, godly example for the other believers (1 Timothy 4:12).

Taking on the Challenge

Parents, will you be a Eunice or Lois in your young child’s life? Will you help your daughter to know and love God’s Word best of all? Will you help your son to store up Scriptures in his mind and heart, so he will be wise in God’s eyes? Finally, will you show your child how much God’s Word means to you? Maybe you didn’t learn God’s Word in your childhood, but you can start memorizing His Word right now along with your child. What an easy way to start! Even better, your child will give you a built-in accountability system!

The Bible gives us many other reasons to make Scripture memory a priority. Here are just a few:

• Scripture Memory helps us to know and love God (Matthew 22:37).
• God’s Word is food for the soul (Matthew 4:4).
• Bible Memory protects our hearts and minds from sin (Psalm 119:11).
• It helps us know how to pray (John 15:7 — God’s Word expresses His will. If we have God’s Word in us, we will more likely pray in accordance with His will).
• The Word is filled with promises for the believer in Christ (See an example of one of God’s promises to us in Hebrews 13:5).
• It prepares and equips us to share God’s truth with others (1 Peter 3:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
• It helps us love and encourage others (Hebrews 10:24; 2 Timothy 4:2).