Say It! Then Pray It! Speaking God’s Word Aloud

When my daughter was born, I was immediately overwhelmed with emotion and the weight of responsibility that came with motherhood.

I struggled early on, wondering if I could do this mom thing and I obsessed over each decision I had to make. My relationship with God grew as I questioned, complained and even begged for His help in my new role. But as close as I felt to Him through my desperation, I didn’t feel the power He promised in His Word.

While adjusting to my new role, I remember feeling new mercies every morning as we met the day with a clean slate, possibility, and the welcome of whatever adorable milestone she’d reach that day. After a few weeks of meeting the morning with hope, I decided to reinstate my quiet time by reading the Bible aloud as I fed my baby girl. This way, I would reap the benefits of audible truth while speaking it over my child. Our morning routine became precious to me and truly helped me through those first few months of motherhood.

Time went on though, and our ritual waned as life and baby got busier.

Now, with two young children, school schedules and limited attention spans, this rich way of declaring truth has taken a back seat in our home. We’ve traded Scripture reading for Bible story telling which is equally important to family faith building. Still, there is so much power in speaking God’s Word as a family and I’m committed to putting this practice back in our home.

6 simple ways we can speak God’s Word together as a family:

1. Memorize a weekly Bible verse.

2. Choose a passage to read aloud every night at the dinner table.

3. Create a scripture answer list and be ready to face life’s challenges with the Word. Choose a verse for when you need courage, kindness, strength, to feel loved, etc.

4. Choose a family scripture verse and display it in your home. Refer to it regularly and say it together.

5. Study the Bible as a family. If once a week seems too ambitious, try once or twice a month. Choose a passage and read it aloud then discuss it together.

6. Keep right on doing what you are doing out loud… simply speak out the scriptures and Bible stories you read together.

There is great power in the spoken word. Speaking aloud something that we might otherwise read on autopilot can make a huge difference in hiding God’s Word in our hearts. When we declare God’s Word together as a family we cover ourselves and our home in truth.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. — Deuteronomy 6:4-9

This concept can be slightly more challenging if your children are younger, but resources like the Say and Pray Bible specifically encourage young ones to speak aloud as they follow along with their parent. These simple Bible stories for ages 1–4 years are presented with simple text and colorful objects for kids to point and name, appealing to parents looking to introduce their toddlers to God’s Word in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

It doesn’t matter so much how you encourage your family to speak God’s Word, as long as you get start somewhere together.

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Your Turn

Do you speak God’s Word in your family? What are some practical ways you declare truth together? Leave your comments on our blog!