A Musical Tool for Scripture Memory

You know how a song will get stuck in your head?  If it's a good song, that's a good thing.  If scripture comprises the lyrics, it's a great thing!  Lately, our church family has been selecting a scripture passage to memorize together each month.  For October, the passage was Psalm 63:1-8.  Our family had been blessed by someone else's tunes (The NIV Kid's Club) for learning a passage from Colossians 3 the previous month, and we found ourselves yearning for a song for Psalm 63.  Well. . .

Our God, who can do infinitely beyond what we ask, gave me a song.  After reading through Psalm 63 several times, I set my open Bible on the piano music stand, sat down at the keyboard, and He gave the song.

And so I share it with you, in case you're like us and you find it easier to memorize Scripture when it's attached to music.  The words, in English, aren't perfect poetry as our usual hymns are, but they fit quite well anyway.  I did repeat a couple lines to make the music come out right.  The words in brackets are the lines I repeated.  Otherwise, the words are all in order.  The verses are from the NASB.

I pray that it will be a blessing to you, as you seek to hide God's Word in your hearts.

Psalm 63:1-8

(NASB)

Music Unpublished © 2011 Carol Carpenter

O GOD, You are my God;

I shall seek You earnestly;

My soul thirsts for You,

My flesh yearns for You,

In a dry and weary land where there's no water.

Thus I have beheld You

In the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

my lips will praise You.

So I will bless You

As long as I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth offers

praises with joyful lips.

[As long as I live,

I will lift up my hands in Your name.]

When I remember You on my bed,

 I meditate on You in the night watches,

for You have been my help,

 And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

My soul clings to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

[In the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.]