Meditating on Scripture with Your Children
Meditation has become a popular subject in our culture recently. It’s no surprise that the world wants to counterfeit what God originally designed! Meditating on scripture is not only biblical, but actually a huge key for us in encountering God through the Bible.
Years ago, I heard a sermon from a man at the International House of Prayer about meditating on scripture. It’s transformed my life more than any other sermon I have ever heard, because it taught me how to interact with God through His word. The method he taught us to use was “RWSSP,” which stands for, “Read it, write it, say it, sing it, pray it.”
I’ve used this personally as well as adapted it to use with my children at home and at church (it’s part of the Revival Kids 1 curriculum in the teaching on how to read the Bible).
Psalm 1:3 says this about people who meditate on scripture, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” And isn’t this what we all want for our children (and ourselves)?
My children and I will often meditate on scripture together when we’re in the car. Many times I skip straight to the “sing it” portion when we do this together. This is because when you hear a catchy song, it tends to get stuck in your head. All day long, no matter what you’re doing, it plays on a loop in your mind. That’s exactly what I want these scripture songs to do to my children! I want them to hear the tune over and over and never forget the scripture and the heart behind it.
You don’t have to be a composer or a great singer to do this with your children! I often take a tune from a song my kids and I both know, and then put the words from the verse to that tune. When we do the lesson with the kids at church, we have them get into groups and choose a song for their verse, and then they get to sing it with their group for the rest of the class.
The Biblical view of meditation is closely tied with speaking, or muttering. Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” When we sing scripture with our children, they’re keeping the Word on their lips, and when the songs get stuck in their heads they’re meditating on the scriptures all day long!
Have you ever tried meditating on scripture? Choose a verse this week and try the “sing it” part of meditation as a family. After a day or so, check in with each member of your family: How has meditating on that verse impacted them?