“I Will Uphold You”

Someone once challenged us as parents that we should not only be teaching our children memory verses, but we should also be teaching them, by our own example, the value of hiding God’s Word in our hearts. (In other words, what Scripture passages are you as a parent memorizing and applying to your life?)

I was convicted by that. I do value God’s Word, and I want my children to value it too. But as my former pastor used to say, “Time is the great revealer of the motives of the heart.” And often the way I use my time reveals that I don’t, in fact, value God’s Word above many other things in my life.

Last year, I had a goal of using Desiring God’s Fighter Verses to memorize one Scripture passage/week. A goal which I did not achieve. I won’t say that I failed  miserably though, because the passages I did memorize were alternately a blessing, encouragement and a rebuke to my heart.

We would like our children to memorize out of the English Standard Version, and I have found very few children’s memory resources written using the ESV. John Piper’s church has a ministry called Children Desiring God, and this week I was delighted to discover that there is a CD for the Fighter Verses (Set D only) set to music, using the ESV! This Works for Me! The songs begin and end with the reference, and repeat the text of verse a couple of times. Some songs have the verse text spoken in the middle of the song as well. The music is not particularly amazing–but certainly a helpful memory tool!

I was so excited! I’ve purchased this CD, and I plan to learn the verses with the kids this year.

My goal is to play the entire CD a couple times throughout the week, just casually, while the kids are playing. Mara memorizes most of the CDs we listen to, and Micah, the child who screamed through nursery every Sunday for months, now wants me to sing “The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock” and “My God is So Big” every night before he goes to bed. He can hardly talk, but he uses the signs and says “Wise Man” and “God. . . Stars!”  They learn so much, just being exposed through “casual” listening!

Then I want to focus on one verse each week. Listening intently to one song three times. Then trying to recite the verse without the song.

This week it is “Isaiah 41:10.” Before bed tonight, I sat with all three kids singing along with this song: “Isaiah 41:10. Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10.” Then I said the verse (with Mara repeating after me and Micah trying to repeat after me).

Mara wanted to know, “What’s ‘dis-maid’?”

Of course, Carissa sat on my lap listening quietly.

As I sang along (“I will uphold you”), my little Micah climbed onto my other knee, asking, “Hold you? Hold you?”

“Yes, buddy, I will hold you,” I told him. He snuggled for the rest of the song, and before I turned out their lights, I sang it again to both Mara and Micah in their beds without the CD.

Even though Micah’s not really grasping the concept “God will uphold you,” I’m encouraged that he’s hearing. And someday, hopefully soon, God will work these truths in his young heart.

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

May God speak to their young hearts through His word!