Portion for the Week...

I'm involved in a community group with some wonderful girls.  We've decided this summer to invest some of our time and memorize scripture.  We're going to commit to learning one new verse a week.  On the right hand side of my blog, you'll notice there's a heading titled "My Weekly Portion."  This is the verse we're going to commit to memory.  Every Monday I'll be posting a new verse.  Please join us if you want to!  I'm not wonderful with scripture memory, so this is a big challenge for me too.  However, I have come up with a list that might help us on our journey:

1.  Break the verse down into sections and commit yourself to memorizing a new section every day
2.  Write the verse down on an index card and put it somewhere you'll see all the time (this past week I wrote the verse down on two index cards and also had it on my Blackberry...I used all three throughout the week)
3.  Discipline yourself to reading the verse several times a day.  Make it a part of your routine.
4.  Pray through the verse.  Use it every day in your time with the Lord. 
5.  Make the verse personal to you.  How does this verse relate to your day?  Your week?  How is the Lord speaking to you through this verse?

This past week "My Weekly Portion" was from Lamentations 3:22-24

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul,
Therefore I will hope in him.

When I look at this verse I see four main themes that are personal to me: 
1.  The Lord has love for me
2.  He is merciful to me
3.  He is faithful to me
4.  He is my portion.  He can fill my needs and I will hope in Him. 

Throughout the week, I can keep these themes of love, mercy, faith, and hope in my head and pray through them.  My prayer doesn't have to be fancy.  I keep it simple and make it personal.

My prayer might look like this:

Dear Jesus, thank you for your love.  Thank you that you love me so much and have mercy on me.  You have always been faithful and I know that you will never leave me.  As I make my way through this week, I pray that you would be my portion.  That you would fill my every need.  Thank you, Jesus, that I can hope in you alone.  Amen. 

Good luck to anyone that is going to memorize with us!  I've already posted the new "My Weekly Portion" on the right hand side of my blog.  May it bless you this week.