Finding Hope in Three Encouraging Bible Verses
Do you have a special time of day when you read your Bible?
For me, the best time is right when I wake up.
I love the peace and quiet of the morning.
Often, I’m up between the hours of 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.
Granted, my PJ’s are still on and my bed hair could frighten children, but God doesn’t care.
He delights when we study His Word and worship Him.
There are so many passages in Scripture to treasure, but I wanted to share three encouraging Bible verses that speak to my heart.
When I came to a saving faith in Christ and started reading my Bible at age 30, my whole perspective on life changed.
No longer did my faith take a backseat and I earnestly sought how I could use my God-given skills to glorify Him.
In this often dangerous world that we live in, His Word is the shining light that cuts through this present darkness and lights the way to our eternal victory through Jesus.
This universal calamity we’re all witnessing is temporary.
Delight in God Because He Delights in Us
Psalm 18 is a Psalm of David.
From what we read in the pages of this amazing scripture, God brought David out of the depths of despair into a life marked by humility and gratitude.
The verses end with “. . . because He delighted in me.”
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
But the Lord was my support.
19 He also brought me out into an open place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me. – Psalm 18:18-19, (NASB).
Today’s world is consumed with distractions, temptations of the flesh, and fear.
It’s enough to grieve the heart of every Christian.
But, God hasn’t gone anywhere.
He loves us and delights in us as our Heavenly Father. That is the beauty of His character – we are still His children.
We fail Him daily and yet He still loves and delights in us. Someday we will be with Him in Heaven.
Talk about encouragement!
One of the reasons I named this blog “Delight-in-God” in the first place is because, as Christians, we know that He delights in us and wants us all to come to repentance in Him.
God Is Our Strength
The following verse in 2 Corinthians is a great example for us of the Apostle Paul’s complete trust in God, no matter how challenging and dangerous his daily circumstances were.
Remember that Paul was beaten, stoned, and thrown in prison several times for preaching the gospel.
I have to admit when I first became a Christian and read those words from Paul, it was a shocker.
How can anyone “delight” in persecutions? Is this for real?
Of course when you’re being persecuted, your first reaction might be sadness or anger . . . but delight?
I once read that sometimes God has to bring us to our knees for us to realize our need to trust Him, no matter what.
This is a constant lesson I need to remind myself in my very human desire to make a bad situation better quickly.
Jesus is the perfect divine example of endurance through suffering.
It may feel like we’re struggling with a mountain of issues, but we are not alone.
As I grow older and look back on the past challenging circumstances in my own life, I realize that my prayers for perseverance to cope with those situations and move forward were answered.
He Knows You and Me By Name
Our God – God of the entire universe knows you and me by name.
He knew you before you were even born . . . He saw you being born!
He sees you in a crowd, standing in line, sleeping . . . everywhere.
And, He looks upon you as His child, worthy of redemption and salvation through His Son – that blessed gift of grace when what we really deserve is death for our sins.)
Jesus wants to have a relationship with us.
What do you do when you love someone?
You think about them – a lot and all the time.
Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2You know when I sit down and when I get up;
You understand my thought from far away.
3You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways. – Psalm 139:1-3, (NASB).
He knows us better than we know ourselves and, for that, we should be grateful.
Better Place, Divine Grace
I hope you’ve enjoyed these three encouraging Bible verses that I’ve shared.
There are many more that capture my heart that I’ll share at another time.
I’m grateful that God chose me and I rejoice with you that He chose you – my brother and sister in Christ.
As much as I love the many wonderful things that have happened (and will happen) in the rest of this life, I know that Heaven is going to be so much better.
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All scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
