We’ve been given a wonderful gift.
A gift full of true stories that are inspiring and informative. One full of encouragement and comfort for saddened hearts, and guidance and wisdom for lost ones. One packed with truth and reminders of what really matters in life.
The Bible is so easily accessible in our western culture now, and it’s a huge blessing. Nowadays, Christians can buy Bibles from countless places. There are free ones in hotels, and given away at conferences. We can pull them up on free apps and websites on our devices.
All this wisdom and truth that God’s left for us is right at our fingertips.
The title for this post isn’t as accurate as it should be, as I don’t think it’s possible to pick favorite Scripture verses. I don’t think we should try either. The entire Bible is there for a reason. It’s all important and, depending on where we’re at in our lives and spiritual journeys, different verses will speak to us more at different times.
So the better way to describe the following verses I’m going to share is that they’re some of the verses that have made the most impact on my life so far. They’re ones I’ve turned to repeatedly to gain wisdom, courage, and encouragement.
The more I read the Bible, the more treasure I discover that I wish I would have paid attention to sooner. But here are a few of the Scripture passages that have made the most difference in my life so far.
What are some of yours?
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This is one that I come back to often. Any time I’m feeling especially tired, weak, overwhelmed, or inadequate, I remind myself of this verse and Jesus’ reassurance that He’s here to help us shoulder the loads of life. It’s hard to find rest in this world, physical or emotional. But time and time again, Jesus has provided that, and I’m so grateful for it.
John 15:4-16
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself;
it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him,
he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
This entire passage is one that I’ve reread countless times. I love the imagery of bearing fruit for God and the reminder that we need to stay connected with Him if we’re to do anything worthwhile. And of course, to love one another as God has loved us – which is an awful lot! Lastly, the last couple of verses always encourage me, with Jesus calling us friends, choosing us and appointing us, and promising us that God will provide for us.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
This was on repeat in my brain all throughout 2020, as my graduation year turned upside down and a lot of things changed. Just reminding myself that God works all things out for good, no matter how scary, confusing, painful, or disappointing they seem kept me sane. And it continues to encourage me, as this is the first verse I think of any time something doesn’t go the way I expect it to. God is always working!
Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the pagans run after all these things, and your
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t struggle with worry at least occasionally. I definitely wrestle with it more than I’d like. So this passage has always been helpful to me, reassuring me that God has everything under control. If He cares for us so much, why do we doubt that He’ll take care of us? It goes right along with Romans 8:28 – He is in control and working for our good all of the time, even when we don’t see it.
Psalms 62:1-2
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
I love the Psalms in general . . . they’re just so beautiful, real, and honest. But this passage in particular always touches my heart. The imagery of God as our rock, our salvation, our fortress, and our source of rest is very comforting to me. We may feel shaken, but if we put our trust in God, we won’t be. God is steadfast.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
This verse reminds me of two things at once. First, God’s amazing power, strength, and wisdom, and how He will never stop having and using all of those things in our lives. And secondly, the promise of His provision and the ultimate reward of Heaven, where our new bodies will be perfect and untiring. Those are both things to be very, very thankful for!
Psalms 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
This is always my go-to verse when I’m trying to either learn good habits or get rid of bad ones. It’s helpful to me to remember that God is ultimately capable of cleansing me and helping me to have a pure and willing heart. And the joy of His salvation is something I always want to be full of, but struggle with. I never want to forget that He can help!
1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship
that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
This is the exact same passage that my husband and I had read at our wedding, as we liked it so much. And not just in a married love setting. The word ‘love’ is thrown around so much nowadays that I appreciate being reminded often of what love really is. What God’s love is like. What love we should be showing others. This is such a beautiful picture of God’s intention for love.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
I think this might be the first Bible verse I remember memorizing. It’s said so often by Christians, but I don’t think we always stop to think about what it really means. And although it gets misinterpreted, it’s one of my favorites. Not because we can do anything we want with God, but because we can do anything He asks us to do in His strength. That’s reassuring to me, that as long as I’m following His will, He’ll give me the strength to do it.
Revelation 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’
or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
The longer I live, the more I long for Heaven. Especially as I look forward to seeing more and more people again there, and yearn to have an even more intimate relationship with God. God Himself will dwell with us! What an exciting thought. And along with that, there will be no more hardship and pain and grief, like there is here today. I can’t wait for that. This verse is an encouragement and comfort to me when I’m having trouble being patient.
I’m so thankful for the Bible. For all of the wisdom, guidance, encouragement, teaching, and peace God’s placed inside it for us to discover. The entire book is so important to our lives, but these were just a handful of Scriptures that have made a big difference in my journey.
Do you have any Scriptures that have made a bigger impact on you and your life? What are your go-to verses when you’re needing comfort or guidance? I’d love to hear from you, so let me know in the comments!
Recent Posts: