How Bible Verse Songs Can Benefit You

When I first became a Christian, I was introduced to songs such as "Behold, Behold," "I Know Whom I Have Believed," and "Great is Thy Faithfulness." Many times I was not aware that I was actually singing a Bible verse. Later, when I came across the verse in my reading, I was surprised that I already knew it.

This is but one use of Bible Songs- they aid in memorizing Scripture. Music locks the words into a rhythm so that this rhythm dictates the next word. This is why songs on commercials are easy for children to remember. I can still sing commercials I heard 50 years ago!

Of course, Scripture was not written as metric rhyming poetry and this makes it more difficult to match the words to a melody. How to do that is the subject of another article. But when it is done well, the words flow with the tune and each note demands the correct word.

Bible songs also help us remember the verses we memorized. When I am speaking, I often think of a verse set to music and am able to quote it accurately. In my mind, however, I am really singing the verse quickly. The rhythm and accents of the song was the aid to remember it.

Several years ago I taught third grade in a Christian school. Some of my students had difficulty learning the memory verse for the day and I wanted to help them. The answer was music. Singing the verse aided them in both learning and retaining it.

Bible verse songs also provide a means of meditating on the Scripture. The song plays over and over in my mind and so do the words. Verses have come to mind in this way that were just what I needed for a given situation.

A song can actually clarify the mean of a verse. An example of this is found in a verse that, in the KJV, contains a misplaced modifier, 2 Corinthians 5:21. The verse reads, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin." Obviously, Paul is not teaching that we are sinless, but Christ is. The song for this verse, by repeating the words, clarifies this.

Bible Songs can also be a way to present the Gospel. Several years ago I taught my class all of the verses in the Roman's Road set to music and then we sang them for a parent assembly. The plan of salvation was clearly presented to any relatives who didn't know the Lord.

The final advantage of Bible verse songs is their aid to those of us who are getting older. I find it much more difficult to memorize anything and retain it now than I did when I was younger. However, I can still remember a song and through this means can learn and retain verses.