Weekly Update |   July 13, 2023

Why Memorize Songs

Max Nedorezov

Music is able to do a lot of things. It’s able to encourage the weary, relate to the sorrowful, energize the excited, and sometimes, get stuck in your head all day long. At times this can be a blessing; at other times, not so much. Think of the ABCs and immediately you know the tune. Think of a lullaby but don’t get sleepy. This feature of music has existed for millennia, and God used it to great effect to get a song stuck in the heads of the people of Israel for generations.

In Deuteronomy 31 we read how at the end of Moses’ life, God commissioned him to teach the people of Israel a song that “will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring … when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness” (Deut. 31:21). This song spans 43 verses of chapter 32 and is definitely much longer than any song I know.

In our modern technological culture, we’ve become far too accustomed to not memorizing songs, especially those we sing at church. We rely far too much on seeing the lyrics on the screen to be able to sing along. We’re definitely capable of memorizing lyrics and tunes without ever seeing the lyrics (especially all the wrong songs), but whenever we gather with other believers, are we able to completely sing through a song without any lyrics in sight?

I’ve seen many times how those from older generations are able to flawlessly mumble to themselves a tune from 30 years ago. How? Because they had to memorize the lyrics out of necessity. There were no electronic lyrics on demand and carrying a hymnal everywhere you went wasn’t practical.

God has given music a special feature to implant itself into your head, so why not use this to great effect? Here is a list of five things that memorized songs help believers with, and then a practical list of three things you can do to start memorizing today.

Memorized Songs…

1. Help you meditate on Bible truth

When you open the songbook of Psalms, you’re immediately confronted with the blessed man who meditates on the law of God day and night (Ps. 1:1-2). I think it’s appropriate that the songbook of the Bible begins with mention of this feature of songs to instantly get stuck in your head.

Taking a poetically rendered phrase of truth from the Bible and ruminating on it over the course of the day will do a lot to help you be that blessed man or woman. Allow Scripture to get stuck in your head in song form, and it’ll root itself deeper into your heart than a simple reading could allow (Col. 3:16). Take note of the songs we sing at church. They’re carefully chosen to be biblical and useful in your personal life, especially when memorized.

2. Keep truth unforgettable

The purpose of the song that Moses taught the people of Israel at the end of his life was to remind them when they turn away from God that God is the Rock and his ways are justice (Deut. 32:4).

Allowing ourselves to meditate on Bible truth through song will push that truth deeper into our heart, but many years down the line, great songs will remind us again of these truths. Think of a simple rhyme from your childhood like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and you’ll see how long you can hold on to a tune.

Memorized songs today will pay many dividends years down the line.

3. Prepare the church to go underground

Imagine a future where the web is policed and the church is publicly forbidden to gather and no Christian song lyrics are freely available. There is increasing hostility in the world against Christians and Jesus promised that a servant is not greater than his master. He was persecuted, how much more will we (John 15:18-16:4)?

If we spend our freedom memorizing good, Christian songs today, we are investing into a future where access to such songs may not be as ubiquitous. Who knows how Christians will gather in 20 years, whispering to each other a Sovereign Grace song and calming their nerves with Bible truth about God’s sovereignty.

4. Improve your memory skills

Old Testament saints knew their Scripture much better than many people do today. It was imperative for the people to memorize God’s words. “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut. 6:6-9).

Many people believe that they have poor memories, but that’s actually not true. They have untrained memories. Memorization is a skill like playing piano or cooking a delicious meal. And skills can be learned. As my band teacher used to say, “Starts with P, rhymes with cactus. Practice!” That’s the only way to get better at memorizing songs, and ultimately Scripture itself.

5. Encourage family worship

As it says in Deut. 6 quoted above, the statutes and rules of God had to be taught to children at home because how else would they know about God and how to live before him? Family worship is an opportunity for the family to gather together and worship God through singing, reading, and prayer. But how can you do family worship while driving or elsewhere unusual? Through memorization! Kids who don’t read sing entire songs without help. Can the adults?

Practical Advice

There are many different ways to memorize something, but ultimately it boils down to exposure and intentionality.

1. Read the song lyrics (exposure)

I find that simply reading through the lyrics of a song, picking up on the flow of thought, and organizing in my head the order of the verses, helps me immensely to remember that song. For all the songs we sing at church, I encourage you to visit gfcsongs.com. We have all the lyrics there for your use! Side note: if anyone is willing to help fill in the chords, please talk to me!

2. Sing from memory (intentionality)

If you never take the training wheels off the bicycle you will never be able to ride on your own. When singing at church, take your eyes off the screens and sing from memory. You’ll be surprised at just how well you already know the songs, and how much better the sung truths land on your heart.

3. Actively memorize (intentionality)

Combine the first two points and you’ll hit the home run. Read the lyrics and purposefully try to sing from memory at church, at your home group, in the car, in bed, whenever you’re bored. There are no shortcuts to success. Take the songs you love most and actively memorize them, and before you know it, you’ll be able to sing most songs anywhere you are, with or without accompaniment.

New song this Sunday

There are so many good songs out there so where should I begin? If you’re looking for something fresh to learn, this upcoming Sunday we’ll be singing a new song: From Everlasting (Psalm 90) by Sovereign Grace. What makes this song unique and special is that it is a modern arrangement of a classic penned by Moses himself. What better songs to learn and sing than those that point us directly back to Scripture?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continue supporting the churches working among the people who have suffered from the war in Ukraine: gfchurch.com/ukraine/

Below are the services and meetings for this weekend:

• Thursday (7:00 PM) – Bible study and prayer meeting
• Sunday services:
  • Worship Service in Russian at 9:00 AM
  • Worship Service in English at 11:15 AM

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