5 Tips For Family Scripture Memorization In The New Year!

This past year, I experienced some of the deepest valleys of my life. It didn’t just affect me, it impacted our whole family. We trod together through grief, financial troubles, and persecution. There were problems at home, problems at school, problems at church, problems with extended family, and problems at work. It wasn’t just one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, it looked like a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.

But it was also a year where we were strengthened in ways we have never needed to be strengthened before. I can honestly say that though it was a hard year, it was also a blessed year. I wonder if maybe you are reading this, and you can relate?

As a family, our low points became anchor points. The valley was not something we simply needed to get through, it was something we needed God through. We have emerged from the ashes, because of one main reason: we had the Word of God deeply planted in our hearts and minds! I Timothy 3:16-17, says this about the importance of the Bible:

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

We spent the year memorizing Bible verses, not realizing just how needful we would be of these timely words. God knew we needed the Bible verses we memorized as a family to get us through. And when the valley gave way to victories on the mountaintop, it was Scripture that rooted us in praise, giving God the glory and thanksgiving He deserved for being our Rescuer and Hope.

Learning Bible verses together as a family is one of the best things that my husband, Guy, and I have ever done with our kids. I believe it will be for your family too! Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Here are some tips and suggestions for organizing your own family Scripture memorization for the year ahead:

1) Choose one verse or short passage per month.

Trying to memorize large portions of Scripture or even weekly verses can be stressful for both parents and kids. By choosing one verse a month, you have the opportunity to take the time you need to memorize it well and to truly apply it to everyday living over the course of a month. I’d rather have 12 solid Bible verses that my kids know like the back of their hands than 44 verses they memorize and forget because they didn’t absorb them.

2) Display Your Bible Verses.

Take the time to write out the Bible verse you are memorizing and place it in places of high visibility in your home.  I even tape the verse on a notecard on the dashboard of my car so we can remember to talk about it on drives in the car. My kids love this time in the car together, and they are a captive audience when we are all together on the road! Some stores, like Hobby Lobby, offer beautiful wall hangings with verses for affordable prices, and they often have sales too. I just got this one for about 5 dollars, on sale. It’s hanging in our front bathroom!

3) Use Your Phone.

I like to set a reminder on my phone with the verse for the month so that it pops up at the same time every day on my home screen and notifies me to read it with my kids. It’s a great way to get a subtle nudge so Scripture memorization does not fall through the cracks of our busy day!

4) Pray The Verse At Bedtime.

Every evening, we say a prayer at bedtime. It’s a sweet and meaningful time for us to pray in power because we are praying God’s Word. If the verse is a promise from God, or an instruction, we ask the Lord to help us live it out, or invite God’s promise to be made real in our lives. This helps us embrace the meaning of the verses in our day-to- day lives and reminds my kids that God’s Word is living and active.

5) Make Use Of Resources For Families.

Last year, I started using a simple ten-minute devotion time with my kids where we went through a book of the Bible together over the course of a month. We chose only one verse from the book, and used that as our memory verse for the month, but the few minutes we spent in family Bible Study became our sweetest times together, full of bonding and blessing. The monthly Study Buddy Bible Study Guides that we used each weekday helped them, and me, to be more Christ-focused, and it was simple and easy to use. My kids begged to do this with us every day, opening up to us in new and amazing ways during the discussion question time!

We never know what a year will bring, but in the the midst of unknowns, we can rely on the ever-constant goodness and nature of God to help us through life’s hills and valleys. In the ever-changing circumstances of our lives, we can cling to the One Who never changes. Without the solid Biblical Truth of God’s Word to help us through this past year, we would have flailed and been at a loss. Knowing God’s Word is a gift we can give to our kids that has eternal dividends.

Don’t be afraid to jump in and start memorizing. Being organized will set you up for a blessed year, and a richly blessed future.

Amber Lia