Memory Work

 I look at your heavens, 

which you made with your fingers. 

I see the moon and stars, 

which you created.   Ps. 8:3

When I was in middle school, my mom led my brother and me in 15-minute Bible studies before school each day.  We had to be completely ready to go by 7:00, sitting on the couch with our Bible ready.  (I have to make a brief side-note here and tell you how wonderful my mother is and what a great example of what a Christian mom should be!)  Each week we had a memory verse.  One particular year I remember we had these verses on cards, and we learned several verses from a passage over the week, so that by the end of the week, we could recite the whole passage.  The verse above sticks out to me, because I remember vividly the moment I realized how important it was to memorize scriptures.

I remember sitting in Science class in the 8th grade during a lecture on the big bang theory.  Immediately, this verse, which I had memorized several months before just "popped" into my head.  I realized then and there that if we didn't memorize scripture, we wouldn't have the ability to recall it whenever it was most needed.  It wasn't by chance that I just happened to think of a verse that spoke of the heaven's being created by the hand of God during the middle of Science class.  But I realize that had I not memorized the verse, there is no way I would have recollected it at a time when it helped reaffirm my faith.  

I encourage all of us, not just to read scripture, which is definitely important, don't get me wrong -- but to actually take time to study and commit to memory verses from God's word.  Teach our children to do the same.  I will be the first to admit it's been way too long since I spent time on memory work.  And it's not something I emphasize on a regular basis for my children - although they do have weekly memory verses at school - it's something I need to teach them the value and importance of and work on with them at home.  It's something I plan to work on.