One of my weekly highlights is assisting in AWANA game time. Seeing kids enjoy church and supporting volunteers who are leading and faithfully serving is genuinely a joy. Some may view a weekly program like AWANA as relay races and candy. AWANA is not all about fun and games. In fact, its primary objective is to challenge children to memorize God’s Word. We understand that the gift of God’s Word hidden in a child’s heart will catapult their adulthood. According to Lifeway research, children engaging with the Bible regularly is the number one indicator of faithful adults.
Believe it or not, this week’s blog is not about AWANA. While I believe strongly in its model, there may come a day when we, as a church, choose a different program to invest in the faith development of children. Today’s blog is actually about encouraging every one of us to prioritize Scripture memory.
This past Sunday, we looked at Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 2. We should not be surprised that his prayer primarily consisted of Psalms that he was exposed to as a child and prayed routinely as an adult. The monotonous rhythm of exposure to Scripture through regular engagement in reading and memorization will strengthen our position in times of crisis to be rooted in Christ and practice our faith.
There is no judgment being sent if you do not routinely engage with and memorize Scripture. However, consider this a reminder of its importance and a challenge to work on the discipline. In fact, consider the challenge of memorizing one verse or passage each week for the next month. To help you get started, below are some links to blogs and tools you may find helpful.
Navigators: How to memorize Scripture.
https://www.navigators.org/resource/how-to-memorize-scripture/
Desiring God: You can memorize Scripture this year.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/you-can-memorize-scripture-this-year
Dwell: A subscription-based program to resource Bible memorization.