One summer, when I was around ten, our church ran a Bible memory contest. They awarded books as prizes to all who learned their weekly list of verses. One of Mom’s friends volunteered to be my accountability partner. She even baked cookies every week. I think of Barbara often with warm gratitude, and the verses I learned then still pop up when I need them.
Fast forward to recent years as I try to memorize new scripture. Try is the operative word. It seems ten times harder than when I was ten. I use an app on my phone, appropriately titled “Bible Memory Pro.” Ironically, I can’t remember why I paid a few dollars more for the Pro version when there was a free option, but I can tell you the Pros of using the app:
- The app allows me to choose among many Bible versions.
- I can select my favorite verses or choose from the App’s list of suggestions.
- The entire verse or passage loads on my screen, and as I tap the first letter of each word, it moves on or highlights mistakes. I either start over or, if no errors, proceed to the next screen. Finally I’m able to “recite” the entire verse and go on to another.
- The program recycles memorized verses for review, stretching the time between from days to weeks.
- Verses can be categorized. Some of my categories are “Strength,” “Forgiveness,” and “Encouragement.”
If I were to enter my childhood contest this summer, and if Barbara was still with us, I would eat cookies but wouldn’t win any books. I may be able to retain parts for a day or two, but later than that, I’m trying to memorize again. I felt bad about this failure for a bit, but I quickly realized a huge benefit of my process. Meditation.
In trying to memorize, I focus on small segments, sometimes a phrase, sometimes only a word. I’m immersing myself in God’s Word, soaking in meaning. For example, here’s today’s verse.
Psalm 42:7-8 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
God reveals himself through His creation. I hear His voice in thundering water. When I duck beneath the surface, I feel His presence surround me.
By day the LORD directs His love, at night His song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
Dana McNeely dreamed of living in a world teeming with adventure, danger, and romance, but she had a problem—she also needed a lot of peace and quiet. She learned to visit that dream world by stepping into a book. Better yet, hundreds of books. Soon, she began writing her own stories, fact and fiction.
Inspired by the Bible stories of Elijah, Dana wondered why the prophet came to stay with the widow of Zarephath and her son. Who were they? What was their life, before? How did the boy change after he died, saw the other world—and came back?
Those questions led to Dana writing RAIN, in which she built her dream world of adventure, danger, and romance. Peace and quiet, however, have remained elusive.
No stranger to drought, Dana lives in an Arizona oasis with her hubby the constant gardener, two good dogs, an antisocial cat, and migrating butterflies.
He is destined to be high priest—but at what cost to those he loves?
In ancient Samaria, Aban anticipates his rites of passage with excitement and dread. He yearns to join the priesthood of Ba’al Melqart, unlock the power of the rain god, and hear the deity’s voice. He’s been warned the licentious ceremony can take a dangerous turn, but as eldest son of the high priestess, he holds a privileged position. If he can make it through the ceremony, one day he’ll rise to high priest.
On the eve of the rituals, Aban’s mother confesses a dark secret about the bloody sacrifice demanded by Melqart. Aban may have escaped the flames, but if he is to save his brother, Aban must take his destined position of power as soon as possible.
When the mysterious prophet Elijah interrupts the rites, overturns the idol, and curses the land with drought, Aban’s world is shaken. The current high priest and the king appear powerless, but even more confusing is the fact that the rain god does nothing.
Against his better judgment, Aban conceals the strange prophet’s whereabouts, forfeiting the high priesthood. Now an enemy of the relentless Queen Jezebel, Aban has little time to question his fading commitment to Ba’al Melqart as he and his loved ones flee. But the conflict in Samaria is much larger than just a high priestess and her sons. Soon, Aban will have to choose a side in Yahweh’s war against the Ba’als—and it may cost him his life.
