Devotional Darling

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11

Learning memory verses is a large focus in our Sunday School class. Each month is a different scripture or passage of scripture that they work on for that month. Why should we take time out our week to help these young minds commit God’s word to their memory? Is not just learning the stories enough? The Psalmist declares that hiding God’s word in his heart is a way of protecting his heart.

The Word of God is also a source of healing:

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Psalm 107:20

The Word is our Sword and is a powerful weapon in the Armor of God. It is our tool to fight off the lies of the enemy.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Ephesians 6:17

Learning and hiding scripture in your heart is very important!

I try to introduce different learning strategies to help different learners commit these powerful passages to memory. One method I like to teach them is Phrase 15. This is method when I had a very brief stint as a Bible quizzer. We were moving out town, I had a lot of homework, and it just didn’t work out. However, I did learn the Phrase 15 method of memorization.

Essentially, your break the verse into smaller phrases, saying each phrase 15 times. I’ve led the students through this method different ways. The must rustic method is where I would just write it on the dry erase board, and underline the different phrases. Or, I would point to the different punctuation marks and tell them to use the punctuation as their guide to chunking it up. Which, is a great reinforcement for grammar!

Finally, this past year I made a Phrase 15 packet. I have a worksheet where they can write a phrase in each box. This way they are read, writing, and memorizing!

If you are looking to incorporating scripture memorization as part of you classroom devotion or even your personally devotion, then I invite you to give the Phrase 15 method a try. While you don’t need my packet to try it, it sure is a helpful tool for students who need something tangible.

You can find my packet here on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

May the Lord Bless you and Keep You!