After 12 years of enduring the harsh western sun on the back of our house, my husband pulled down the scrawny patio, and replaced it with an expansive one that would give the house protection and bring us relief.   It meant extending the concrete patio floor, too.  The concreters colour matched the new concrete with the old.  But the old concrete, which had been poured nearly 30 years before, looked faded alongside it.  My husband decided to acid wash the old concrete floor and then seal it.  He bought the acid from the hardware store and cautioned me with these words:

May their rest be long and placid

They added water to acid

The others did as they oughta

And added acid to water.

I grew alarmed.  ‘What happens when you add water to acid?’

‘The solution gets so hot it boils and acid splashes everywhere,’ he said.

‘Are you sure you want to use acid?  It sounds dangerous.’

‘Yes, it’ll be fine.  I remembered those words from high school chemistry.’

It got me thinking about the rhymes and sayings I was taught in my childhood.  A cautionary rhyme to help me cross the road safely.  A useful rhyme so I could remember the number of days in a month.  Educational rhymes to help with spelling or grammar.  Rhymes, especially those learned in childhood, allowed information to stick in my memory.

I remember short, pithy words of advice sticking, too.  My British born Nanna loved to quote proverbs.  The sort in the form of old sayings to help you through life.  Sayings like, ‘All that glitters is not gold.’  Meaning not everything is what it seems.  Appearances can be deceptive.  Nanna also loved quoting the Bible and she is most remembered for this particular verse:  ‘And be sure your sin will find you out.’ I should probably mention that Nanna raised four boys and four girls.  They all knew that if, on the rare occasion she happened to miss anything, God would certainly see it and there would be consequences.  We grandkids were told the same.  The fact that the verse was in Numbers 32:23, with the chapter and verse numbers reversed, seemed to add spiritual clout to me.  God had specifically placed the verse in a place where we could remember it easily and so know where to look it up!

If rhymes, adages and sayings play an important part in our lives, how much more important should the word of God be?  Jesus said in John 6:63:

 ‘It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.

The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life.’

That’s why teaching Memory Verses in Kid’s Ministry is so important.  I know that preparing them can be hard work.  I know that asking the children to recite them over and over can be a challenge.  I know that sometimes it takes bribery, in the form of reward stickers and prizes, to encourage them to commit a verse to memory.  But it’s worth it!  God’s words are never wasted!  Isaiah 55:11 says:

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

God’s words have power and purpose and never fail.  That’s why I include a Memory Verse in every lesson I write and find a novel way to present it, keeping children engaged.

Memory Verse Techniques

• The puzzle (jigsaws, codes)
• The song (Bible verses put to music)
• The relay (team games, stepping stones, footprints, obstacle course)
• The hunt (hiding words, following clues, treasure hunts)
• The game (hot potato, musical chairs, blocks, ball games, balloons, fishing, hopscotch)
• The rhyme (chanting, actions, sign language, clapping)
• The drama (characters and props e.g. the clothesline, charades)

If a high school rhyme learned around 40 years ago can keep my husband safe from harm, imagine what a childhood filled with lifesaving verses from God’s word can accomplish!

God bless you,

Deb Wassenberg