Great Cars, Great Bands, Great . . . Scripture Choruses?

Lately, I’ve seen social media posts from high-school friends to the effect that, while we’re not as young as we used to be, we were around for the coolest cars and some of the most awesome music. (The musicians actually played all the instruments, and the harmonies are still great for singing along, but we won’t go down that trail . . . .)

Recently, though, I’ve thought about something else from my teen and college years—praise choruses that came right out of Scripture, as sitting around a campfire singing “Pass It On” led to setting entire verses or passages to music. Amazingly, as I encounter those verses during my Bible study now, I can hear the tunes in my head, and I remember all the words.

A few of my favorites:

-       Beloved, Let Us Love One Another (1 John 4: Sev-en-and-eight, clap-clap)

-       Hear My Cry, Oh Lord (Psalm 61:2–4)

-       We Have Confidence (Hebrews 10:19)

-       Lord, You Are More Precious Than Silver (various versions from Psalm 19)

-       The Lord Thy God in the Midst of Thee Is Mighty (Zephaniah 3:17) 

And dozens more. If cultural and political conditions disintegrate to the point Bibles are declared contraband—already the case in some nations—I’ll bet a bunch of 1970’s and 1980’s church youth and campus fellowship group members could make a pretty good stab at writing it out from memory, based on those choruses!

So, what is the point here? My point is, setting the verses to music was a great way to memorize them. When my kids were small, I purchased tapes and CDs of Christian artists singing children’s choruses straight from the Bible (remember Psalty?) and even wrote a few of my own; now as young adults, all 3 can still sing many of the verses.

The Holy Spirit can use Scripture we have committed to memory to guide us in prayer and in sharing our faith. When I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I sit down at the piano or with my guitar and sing Psalm 61 and other choruses based on Psalms of lament. During my dad’s last day on earth, singing and reciting scripture, along with his old favorite hymns, brought wonderful peace and even helped physically relieve his labored breathing.

Of course, it’s also important to study the context. For example, Jeremiah 29:11 is a great promise and quoted frequently, but realizing it was given during the Babylonian exile helps assure me that even during periods of wondering if God has forgotten me, He hasn’t.

If you’re in my age demographic, try resurrecting some Scripture choruses with your kids and grandkids! If you don’t have a backlog from your teen years, there are memorization plans via devotional apps and Bible apps; but the important thing is, having Scripture memorized has served me well—and it will for you, too.