SING IT!
¡Cántelo Ud.!
By Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Thursday, February 28, 2013
Almost everyone can sing to some degree. [Photographer: Geoffrey Whiteway. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
Many people have a difficult time memorizing scripture, and I am one of them. Yet, I know it is important for many reasons. I find that knowing what the Bible says helps me to make wise decisions. The foundation for this is Psalm 119:11 that says, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You." Such ready reference allows me to answer others when they make erroneous statements, when they offer excuses, or when they use faulty reasoning.
One of the ways that I commit Bible verses to memory is to turn them into songs. While many hymns and praise choruses have Bible verses as their foundation, few quote the verses exactly.
To accomplish this, some people use a tune they know well to set a beloved Bible verse to music. An example of such a practice would be to sing the English version of John 3:16 to the familiar tune of "Are You Sleeping?" or "Frere Jacques." I offer John 3:16 here for you to try singing it to this tune: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (New King James Version)
While this method works well with many English translations of the Bible, I had to find another tune to fit the Reina-Valera 1960 translation of John 3:16 in Spanish. For this purpose, I tried using the tune to "Cristo Me Ama" or "Jesus Loves Me" but found that the words didn't fit the meter exactly. I offer the Spanish words here and invite you to try them out using a favorite tune. In Spanish, John 3:16 reads as follows: "Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna."
It is simply a matter of looking for a familiar tune to adapt to the particular Bible verse that one has in mind. This is also a good method to use when teaching children to memorize scripture.
Children remember information especially well when it is set to music. [Photographer: Roberta Jorba. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
When I could not find a familiar tune that fits a Bible verse that I wanted to remember, I have made up my own tune. This is the method that I have used to memorize Psalm 119:11, the verse I mentioned earlier. The difficulty of doing so is in remembering the tune the next time that I want to sing it. I know enough music to sit down at the piano and figure out which notes I am singing, but it is time-consuming, and I am not particularly gifted in that area. If that is your gift, I suggest that you use it to help you remember scripture.
Whichever method you use, try setting Bible verses to music and then singing them in your mind and heart throughout the day. You will find that they lift your mood and reduce your stress. And, don't we all need that?
BIBLE VERSES FOR THIS POSTING
Psalm 119:11 "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You." (New King James Version)
Salmos 119:11 "En mi corazón he guardado tus dichos, Para no pecar contra ti." (Reina-Valera 1960)
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (New King James Version)
Juan 3:16 "Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna." (Reina-Valera 1960)
Singing Bible verses can lift your mood and reduce your stress, even if you don't sing very well. [Photographer: Veska Minova. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
