Navigating the Bible: My Favorite Verses

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is having an awesome start to their week!

Today I wanted to talk about reading the Bible. When I felt like I was at the bottom of the barrel, and I didn’t know where to turn, there was always a thought in the back of my head telling me that I should turn to my Bible. But I would always sigh and think to myself that it was too overwhelming. I didn’t understand what half of it was trying to say, and how could anything in there possibly make me feel better?

Well during a particular difficult time in my life, I was lucky enough to be a Youth Minister at my church. At one of our gathering when we were planning out our next youth group, one of our leaders handed out a thin strip of green construction paper with Bible Verses printed on it. But this time something was different. It was like a small little guide. On this piece of paper it had things like “When you are angry, read this.” And “When you are confused, read that.” On this one little piece of paper it gave verses when you were thankful to when you felt alone and scared. This was my first experience with seeing that the Bible contained more than I was giving it credit for. I always knew it was a very special book, but I did not realize just how special it was.

So, today I wanted to write down some of my favorite verses that I read when I am feeling any sort of way, and just need some guidance from the Lord. I know that reading through the Bible can be completely overwhelming, especially when you don’t know what you are doing or how to even find what you are looking for. I hope this helps and encourages you to find some comfort in the words God has to offer!

• Proverbs 3:5
  • “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely.”

I love this verse because I feel like on a daily basis, we kind of get lost within our own heads and thoughts. When we get so caught up in our heads, we get even more confused and sad. So I feel it is important in those moments to fully and completely trust in God. Place your worries in his hands, and he will take it from here.

• Isaiah 41:10
  • “Do not fear, I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”

Again I feel like it is really easy for us as human beings to worry and lose our sight because of that. God can’t always stop you from falling down, but he always walks beside you, and will always pick you up and carry you. Always remember that God will never give you more than you can handle. He loves you way too much!

• Matthew 6: 25-29
  • “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what will you eat [or drink], or about your body, what will you wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are not you more important that they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was clothed like one of them.”

I think that this verse pretty much speaks for itself. It also goes along with the other two previously mentioned in the fact that anxiety will never add anything to your life. I have always had many issues with anxiety and letting it block out the blessings in my life. Those are the most important times in our lives where relying on God will help you more than you know!

• Philippians 4:6
  • “Have no anxiety at all, but in the evening, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”

I love this because sometime I feel bad asking God for certain things. I think to myself “God has already blessed you so abundantly! And here you are asking for more help? You are being selfish.” But every time I read this I remember that God WANTS you to come to him. He WANTS you to talk with him about what you are dealing and struggling with. Even if you do have so much, be thankful and acknowledge those things, but do not let that stop you from talking to God.

• Psalm 32: 1-5
  • “Blessed is the one whose fault is removed, whose sin is forgiven. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit. Because I kept silent, my bones wasted away; I groaned all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength withered as in dry summer heat. Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said “I confess my transgression to the Lord, and you took away the guilt of my sin.””

Jesus died on the cross for our sins. My sins. Your sins. Your parent’s sins. Your friend’s sins. He died to save us. Because he loved us. It is so easy to fall into guilt when we do something that we are ashamed of or not proud of. When we act out of anger or confusion or sadness, and we later reflect on that, it is hard to admit that we have done something and it can be so incredibly difficult to be accountable for our mistakes and faults. But here is the thing. 1. God already knows everything, so he knows if you did something wrong. 2. He LOVES you! Even when we do something wrong, he still loves us. So if we go to him in those times when we are carrying heavy burdens, he will never judge you, but rather lighten the load. Trust him, and also the ones around you. When someone loves you, forgiveness will always be in their hearts. It is okay to share your burdens in order to lighten the load.

• Psalm 73
  • “How good God is to the upright, to those who are pure of heart! But, as for me, my feet has almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped, because I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

With the world we live in today, it is so easy to get sucked into being jealous of another person. It is so easy to say, “They have such a perfect life. What have they done to deserve it and what have I done not to?” But here is the thing. Especially on social media, what you are seeing is most likely a smoke screen. They are manufactured moments. And even if someone is taking pictures of their amazing life, it is so much better and will make you feel so much better to celebrate with them rather than being jealous. Take in all the joy you can get and try to avoid jealousy. It is a slippery slope.

• Psalm 32: 6-7
  • “Therefore every loyal person should pray to you in time of distress. Thought the flood waters threaten, they will never reach him. You are my shelter, and you guard me from distress; with joyful shouts of deliverance you surround me.”

This verse always reminds me that God is always there. When I have felt like I am drowning, those are the most important times when we should turn to God and seek refuge. The storm will never disrupt the Lord, so when we are getting poured on, cling to him. He will protect you from the storm.

• Philippians 4:13
  • “I have strength for everything through him who empowers me.”

God will always give you strength, all you have to do is remember to ask for it. Trust him. He has got your back!

• Psalm 89:7
  • “Who in the skies ranks with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the sons of the gods?”

I think this is such a beautiful question because of how true it is! Who can rank with the Lord? No one. So why don’t we seek him out more often?

• Psalm 104: 2-3
  • “You spread out the heavens like a tent; setting the beams of your chambers upon the waters. You make the clouds your chariot; traveling on the wings of the wind.”

I always love to read this just when I want to read a beautiful verse. I am always in such awe of Gods splendor. He is so incredibly awesome. He has made everything in the world, including you. Everything has its place in the universe. God doesn’t make mistakes. So in those times if you are ever questioning what you are doing, remember that God made you in his image. And if he can create the stars and the skies and the waters and the wind, each with its own special purpose, He made you with a special purpose in mind as well.

• Ben Sira 6: 34-36
  • “Stand in the company of the elders; stay close to whoever is wise. Be eager to hear every discourse; let no insightful saying escape you. If you see the intelligent, seek them out; let your feet wear away their doorsteps!”

So this verse was something I stumbled upon right after my Grandpa unexpectedly passed away. We as a family were completely caught off guard, and it was a difficult time in our lives. Growing up my Grandpa always used to encourage us to do our best in school, and always continue to learn. Learning is a gift, and shouldn’t be wasted. He would also always tell us how smart and talented we were. I can still hear him telling his friends while pointing at me “This girl is smart, smart, smart. She is going to do amazing things!” So after he passed away, I tried and tried to figure out where I was going in life and what I should do. (I was a junior heading into my senior year.) I remember feeling like my Grandpa must have been wrong. I didn’t feel smart. I didn’t feel capable. I didn’t feel like I could learn anything anymore. And then for some reason, at one of my lowest points, I sat on my bed crying and turned to my Bible. I closed my eyes tight and thought “Okay God, I need you. I miss my Grandpa. I just need something.” So with my eyes closed, I opened my Bible, flipped to a random page, pointed to a random verse, and ta-da. This beautiful verse gave me more peace than I had felt in a long time, and I just know that it was my Grandpa and God telling me everything was going to be ok.

• James 1: 19-20
  • “Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.”

It is so easy to speak out of anger. I absolutely used to jump to anger right away, (I have gotten a little bit better.) It is important to remember that everyone carries their own cross that we know nothing about. Practice and ask God for patience in those moments. He won’t let you down.

• Matthew 7:12
  • “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”

The Golden Rule! Yes, it is in the Bible. Haha!

• Mark 10:27
  • “Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

Always remember that nothing is impossible with God. Even when something seems so far out of your reach, whether it be achieving a certain goal or feeling better, always trust in God while you are on your journey.

• John 8:1-20
  • “Then each went to his own house, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” Again he went down and wrote on the ground. And in response. They went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.””

To finish out this post, I am ending with my favorite story in the Bible. I have always loved this because of the truth behind it. Who am I to judge you and who are you to judge me? I am a firm believer that NO ONE is better than anyone else. God made each of us in his own image, which is good enough for me. Always understand that the only one someone (or yourself) has to answer to in the end is God. What someone else is doing is frankly no one else’s business. So rather than checking out to see what someone else is doing, concentrate on what you are doing. And the most important part of this whole story is the very end, when Jesus says “Go and sin no more.” You cannot use the “You can’t judge me excuse” to do wrong. Remember always be kind. Be humble. Be thankful. Be happy. Work hard. And trust in God.

I hope you all enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I will talk to you all in my next post and I hope everyone has an awesome week!