100 Best Bible Verses to Overcome Worry & Anxiety

 

Over two-dozen insightful people contributed to the new devotional book, 100 Best Bible Verses to Overcome Worry & Anxiety, which Bethany House kindly sent me to review.

 

With only a couple of pages per scriptural quotation, each exudes wisdom, comfort, and spiritual insight to calm fears and disperse worry. The carefully selected verses from both the Hebrew Bible (aka Old Testament) and New Testament begin each page with this helpful format:

 

• Bible verse
• Context
• Meaning
• Application
• Additional Readings

 

For example, this familiar verse begins one of the devotionals:

 

“The Lord is my shepherd,
I lack nothing,” Psalm 23:1

 

The “Context” then reminds us that David wrote this psalm as a young shepherd before becoming King of Israel.

 

In the next section, “Meaning,” the last paragraph says:

 

“There is nothing you need that God hasn’t provided. The same shepherd who would put himself in harm’s way to protect you will also make sure you have exactly what you need to thrive.”

 

Then, “Application” helps us to understand how “…we also need to consider what this psalm says to those worried about everyday things…. You lack nothing! God will provide and protect. If he promises to be with us even in death – and showed it through the sacrifice of his own Son – he will also be with us in this life, leading you to the pastures and water you need to sustain and nourish you."

“Additional Reading” suggests John 10:11-18 and Luke 15:3-7.

 

Although God is with us always, we can expect hardships to arise. Nevertheless, James 1:2 tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”  This sounds impossible at first – almost ridiculous! But the “Application” for this verse reminds us:

 

“Jesus never promised that we would live free from difficulty. Use your trials as opportunities to produce stronger, richer faith and character. Use your trials to draw closer than ever to your Savior. Share your experiences with someone walking through a similar situation to offer comfort or advice. Ask Jesus to help you view these hard times as periods of joy, and ask him to refine your faith in the process.”

 

For many years, Romans 8:28 has helped me regain perspective and redirect focus from myself or my concerns to God. Apparently this was true for the Apostle Paul too. After acknowledging our suffering, he writes these faith-building words:

 

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

 

This assurance lets us know that, no matter what, God will bring forth good! And so, even in the middle of the worse moments, we can choose to offer a sacrifice of praise. The “Application” for Romans 8:28 also encourages us to:

 

“Spend time today worshiping the Lord for all he has given you! Life is difficult, yes. But finding moments to celebrate his glory is endlessly important. When you’re feeling like everything is not okay, and you can’t see his good plan, a little bit of worship can quickly remind you of his presence and his goodness. So cry out, ‘Hallelujah” Sing your favorite worship song and give him praise today.”

Amen! 

 

©2021, Mary Sayler, poet-writer, reviewer, and author-compiler of Kneeling on the Promises of God

 

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The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide

Published by Bethany House, who kindly sent me a copy for an honest review, The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide by Tara-Leigh Cobble just didn’t speak to me at first! As the posts on this blog show, I’m really into the Bible and have been since early childhood. So I don’t identify with those who view God’s Word as inaccessible or hard to understand. My way has been to look up difficult passages in various translations and, in recent years, to search Bible Gateway where I find English versions I’d never heard of or don’t have on my shelves.

But that’s me.

Tara-Leigh Cobble also has a passion for God’s Word – just not a similar experience, but rather than giving up, she took another approach to understanding the Bible – one involving relevant questions with which most of us can relate and will do well to ask.

In her opening letter, for example, she approaches the Bible with these vital questions:

• What does God say or do in this passage?
• What does this reveal about what God loves?
• What does this reveal about what God hates?
• What does this reveal about what motivates God to do what He does?
• In all of that, what attributes of God are displayed?

As she goes on to explain:

“The questions we ask of the Bible impact the wisdom we glean from it. Reading the Bible is not a means of self-help or an attempt to earn God’s favor. It’s an opportunity to behold the beauty of God and be drawn in by Him.”

After focusing on her favorite passages, the author “decided to read through Scripture chronologically, not front to back. I wanted to see the overall story line or metanarrative,” finding “Some of the questions I had in Leviticus weren’t answered until Hebrews. But all good relationships require patience, and they develop over time. It’s worth holding some things with an open hand and waiting until God reveals more of Himself.”

Amen!

Ironically, my dissimilar approach led me to the same conclusion! So I’d already purchased a chronological Bible before I saw the opening line in “How to Use This Book”:

“This book is arranged according to a one-year chronological plan, but you don’t have to buy a chronological Bible. In fact, I encourage you not to because it’s probably laid out differently than the plan we are doing.”

With each day’s reading clearly shown at the top of the page, the author suggests we first read the passage(s) in our preferred translation then return to The Bible Recap for a summary and a commentary on any confusing parts. At the end of each of those introductions is “Today’s God Shot,” which gives a glimpse of an aspect of God relevant to the reading. For instance, at the end of the section “Genesis 1-3,” that sidebar says:

“God is our Creator and the Lord over everything, but despite His lordship and His perfection, He’s merciful toward the sinners He’s in relationship with.”

At the end of the section for “Exodus 13-15,” we read this “God Shot,” which says:

“There is no love without wrath. If you truly love something, you’ll hate whatever threatens it. Out of God’s great love for Israel, He fights for them. And when God makes war, He wins. He has solutions we can’t even conceive of – who would even think to pray for a path through the sea? …He knows better than we do. He loves better than we do. He helps eradicate the things that distract our heart from Him to help us remember that He’s where the joy is!”

Joy – delight, elation, and even ecstasy – reside in knowing and loving God, which is the primary theme and purpose of this book. For example, as The Bible Recap reaches the New Testament, we’re encouraged to read “Matthew 5-7” followed by this commentary:

"In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the upside-down kingdom of God. He opens with eight blessings, and many scholars believe they’re cumulative – the first blessing is the foundation of the rest of the sermon….

“When we realize our spiritual poverty, we mourn it which produces meekness in us as we engage the world. Meekness gives way to a desire for God to increase our righteousness. It becomes easier to show mercy to others, because we know what it’s like to struggle. God continues to purify us as we engage with Him. We become people who don’t run from conflict, but who enter into the chaos and create peace. Peacemakers, not peacekeepers….”

Amen! Through the Bible, The Bible Recap, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, may God help us to know Him better, incorporate His Word more fully into our lives, and make peace as the Lord empowers us in Jesus’ Name.

 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, Bible Reviewer

 

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Fascinating Bible Studies on Every Parable

Published by Bethany House, who kindly sent me a copy to review, the Fascinating Bible Studies on Every Parable by Dr. William H. Marty focuses primarily on the parables of Jesus, which He frequently used to teach. But why did He? As the author explains in the Introduction:

Jesus “used parables to draw his audience into the story. Once they identified with the characters, he would make a point, usually with an unexpected development.”

That literary technique can still work well in delivering sermons and other types of writing aimed toward revealing biblical truths. In this book, however, Dr. Marty brings insights to Bible parables we have read often enough to think we’ve gleaned all the biblical truths they contain. Not!

For example, in the very familiar parable “The Sower and the Soils,” the author highlights “A Surprising Harvest” with this comment:

“Jesus’ stories always include a surprising twist, and that’s the good news in this parable. A quarter of the seed fell on good soil, and the harvest was incredible. The seed produced a crop of a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was planted. The harvest was far above what farmers could expect – in first century Israel, most farmers would have been satisfied with a yield of ten percent.”

In this same first chapter, a chart address the parables, their meanings, and the “take-away” or Kingdom truth. As we consider the parable of The Sower, for example, the meaning relates to “The competing obstacles to the proclamation of the Word of God” while the Kingdom truth points out “The remarkable growth of the kingdom of God in spite of competing obstacles.”

The chapter “The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price” discusses two parables beginning with “The kingdom of heaven is like….” In one, “The man who found the hidden treasure was probably a field hand. It’s unlikely he was digging in another man’s field. He was most likely working for the land owner when he accidentally discovered a buried treasure. Throughout Israel’s history, the land had been overrun by invading armies. When there was a threat of invasion, people would often protect their treasure by burying it in the ground.”

The other parable talks about a merchant or jeweler who was “actively searching for the perfect pearl.” Both of these stories “make the same point about the matchless value of the kingdom. I think, however, we can also make a valid point about how the worker and the merchant found the kingdom: the worker found the buried treasure by chance; the merchant found the perfect pearl after a diligent search. Point: People discover the kingdom in different ways.”

Following this and every other parable, the author includes a section entitled “Reflect” with questions for readers to consider in applying these biblical truths to their own lives. After the parables of the pearls, for instance, one of the questions for reflection is “What were the circumstances of your coming to faith in Christ? Was it intentional or unintentional?”

This chapter concludes, as do the rest, with a memory verse – in this case Matthew 6:33:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Some chapters, such as “The Vine and the Branches,” include “Optional” questions to ask ourselves and/or additional comments. For example:

“Jesus’ teaching about the vine and the branches is the basis for the concept of ‘union with Christ’ that Paul and other writers explain as the fundamental union for all the benefits we have received as believers.”

The “Memory Verse” reminds us of Jesus’ timeless word to His followers:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Mary HarwellSayler, ©2020, poet-writer, Bible reviewer

 

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40 Verses to Ignite Your Faith

Published by Bethany House, who kindly sent me a copy to review, these 40 Verses to Ignite Your Faith spotlight “in-between” verses and bring faith-building insights from speaker-author Laurie Polich Short. As she explains in the Introduction, “The lesser-known Scriptures that we pass over help us discover new angles that can breathe life into our faith.”

In the first chapter, for example, the author considers how, “In the garden, we see God setting the stage to woo rather than control humanity.”  The chapter ends with “Reflection,” followed by three questions that cause us to think about how the text affects us personally. For instance, we're asked, “How does Genesis 3:3 speak to the way you perceive God’s boundaries?”

The chapter, “For Our Own Good,” points out that, “At first glance, the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5 might be viewed as restrictive and limiting. But Deuteronomy 10:13 gives us a perspective into God’s commandments that helps us see them in a different way. Moses tells the Israelites that observing the commandments is not primarily for God’s approval, but for their own good. The freedom we think we’ll find by escaping these boundaries is actually found by living within them.”

The aptly named chapter, “Too Much of You Is Not Enough of God,” begins with a quote from Judges 7:2 when “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands’.”  By asking Gideon to decrease his armed forces, “The Lord works with Gideon to increase his faith….” 

The prospect of a small army caused concern, of course – as does having what we perceive as too little of anything – but as the author says, “The more fear or insecurity we have, the greater our opportunity to let God shine. Sometimes the very center of your fear will be the place God wants you to go.”

A variation of that theme appears in the chapter, “Trusting the Greater Plan,” which begins with Paul’s words in Philippians 1:12, “I want you to know, brother and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.”

As the author explains, “We can pray for our circumstances to change, but Paul encourages us to spend our energy and time on what God may want us to do while we are here. This perspective allowed Paul not only to witness to the prisoners and guards assigned to him, but to write letters to encourage the churches he could no longer visit. Had Paul not gone to prison, the New testament might look different – because he would have been visiting the churches instead of being limited to writing to them.”

This reminder of God’s far-reaching plan helps us to realize how much God cares – how much God loves us. Then, as the last chapter suggests, we’re better prepared to focus on “Making the Invisible God Visible.”  How? As 1 John 4:12 says in the opening verse, “No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

By placing our faith in The Word as given in 1 John 4:12, we can see how “The power to show the invisible God to the world is laid out in this verse. The way we love shows people whether the power of God within us is genuine. No amount of theology can prove the existence of God more than this simple act.”

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, poet-writer, reviewer

To order your copy of this highly recommended book, click here: 40 Verses toIgnite Your Faith.

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