67 Verses

This post is by Kristee Ravan. 

Be kind. Ephesians 4:32

God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

God is love. 1 John 4:8

My mother taught preschool Sunday School for much of my childhood and for much of that time, my sister and I helped her cut out Bible verse posters or bookmarks, or take-home shapes (a star or a leaf or a lightbulb) The verse would be written in her left-handed handwriting, so the kids could study the verse at home.

Our home was filled with verses written on 3 by 5 index cards and notepad pages hung on mirrors, on the microwave, on cabinets. Mom studied verses from her Bible studies, verses she starred in her Bible, verses that challenged her. She would tell us that her grandmother loved Psalm 46. God is our refuge and our strength—an ever present help in times of trouble.

She believed in hiding God’s word in her heart, and she passed that on to me. I won a Sunday School prize (a ceramic nativity set) for memorizing Psalm 23, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the Lord’s Prayer. In college, I developed a system to help me review verses I’d learned and keep them fresh in my mind. I began memorizing entire Psalms, longer passages, and all the verses in my children’s homeschool curriculum. I use the Bible Memory app daily, and for the past 8 years, I’ve been slowly working on memorizing the book of Romans. (I just finished chapter 10!)

Last summer, as we walked with my mother through her last months, weeks, days, and hours, she continued to love God’s word, asking for her Bible upon waking. In those final days, I went through the house, making a list on my phone of the verses she’d posted in the kitchen, in the bathroom, on her vanity.

Philippians 4.7

Matthew 6.33

Mark 12.30

Matthew 20.28

Isaiah 26.3

Exodus 33.14

Isaiah 55.12

I started memorizing the ones on the list that I didn’t already know. I planned to memorize 67 verses in total to honor my mother’s 67 years on earth. When I finished learning those 21 verses, I went through one of her Bibles and began learning the verses she had starred or underlined (or both! She liked to emphasize sections that she loved.)

This project has helped my grieving in ways I didn’t imagine. I thought I would just be memorizing the verses, I didn’t realize they would work on healing my heart also. So many of the verses she had posted around the house were about peace. Had she posted them after hearing that her cancer had returned or had the Spirit just prepared the way? It has given me an insight into her last months. 

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

The Lord gives strength to His people. The Lord blesses His people with peace. Psalm 29:11

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

The scripture she’d carefully hidden inside gave her peace and comfort as this part of her life ended. She had learned so much about her Savior through His word. Now she was entering the presence of the Word. And she knew God was going with her and would give her rest.

Kristee Ravan lives in Oklahoma with her husband and children. She spends her days homeschooling, writing, and wondering if she ought to clean instead of read. She is the author of The Lily Sparrow Chronicles books available on Amazon. Her most recent book, Diminishing Progress was released last fall.

Photo credit: Kristee Ravan, of her mama's Bible.