Psalm 90 has long been one of my favorites-- I’m not sure why. Its plaintive plea for mercy in light of our frailty and mortality, perhaps. Anyway, awhile back I encoded it as a series of mnemonic images a on a grid. The memorizing was fairly east after that step. I post it here in case anyone else wants to memorize it as well.
What follows are the actual verses (NIV) followed by the mnemonic, and story link to the next element.
My next Bible memory project is the Sermon on the Mount. That will take while!
| Verse | Mnemonic | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. | A house, a generator. | The generator generates mountains. |
| Before the mountains were born and before you brought forth the earth and the world. | Mountains growing, earth globe. | A boxing-glove punches the earth out of orbit. |
| From everlasting to everlasting you are God. | Everlast boxing gloves. | The punch brings forth a cloud of dust. |
| You turn men back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, oh sons of men” | Man driving into dust. | |
| For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone past, or like a watch in the night. | A gun-sight, watch, moon. | The moon grabs a giant broom and starts sweeping. |
| You sweep men away in the sleep of death. | Broom sweeping men away. | The men hide in tall grass. |
| They are like the new grass of the morning: | Grass. | The grass withers. |
| In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered. | Brown grass, withered. | The dry grass catches fire. |
| We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. | Fire consuming person. A shovel, which digs. | Buy the shovel for a nickel. |
| You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. | Nickels, Magnifying glass and pins. | Use the pins to pin a bow to a wreath. |
| All our days pass away under your wrath; we end our years with a sigh. | Wreath with suns (days) underneath, scythe | Attack a goose with a scythe. |
| The length of our days is seventy years, or eighty, if we have the strength. | Goose (70) and Vase (80) | The vase spins and becomes a top. |
| Yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. | A spinning top (Spin), treble cleff, and a bird. | The hook on the bottom of the trebel cleff becomes the hook on an anchor. |
| Who knows the power of your anger? | Anchor and question mark. | Make one of the points on the anchor into a spearhead. |
| For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. | Wreath, spear. (Rhymes and it’s something to fear.) | Throw the spear at a calendar to mark a day, piercing it. |
| Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. | Calendar, 1,2, 3, 4. Heart. | Compute the percentage of your number of days spent arright. |
| Relent, Lord! How long will it be? | Percent sign (rhymes) Dimension lines. | Tip a servant 15%. |
| Have compassion on your servants. | Servant holding tray. | Servant throws the bottle up into orbit, hitting the satellite. |
| Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, | Satellite overhead, heart-shaped sun rising. | Singer plugs a mic into the satellite. |
| that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. | Singer | The joyful song causes a meh face to smile. |
| Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us. | Smiley, 3 suns representing days. | The smilely sings, evoking a trebel cleff. |
| For as many years as we have known trouble. | Ears, Treble clef. | Straighten the line of the cleff into a string, and string beads on it. |
| May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. | Beads. Servent, children. | Shave off the beard of the servant. |
| May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; | Shaver. Bed represents rest. | Pull blocks from under bed. |
| Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands. | Hands building with blocks. X2 sign. | Make a house with the blocks. |