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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Jesus' Bible: A Concise History of Hebrew Scriptures

This concise history of the Hebrew Bible by Christopher Dost shows the development of the Old Testament in the biblical texts Jesus and the Apostles would have known. 

As the Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Alliance Theological Seminary in New York and author of related books, Dr. Dost documented a wide range of resources to give us this slim paperback, chocked with information.

For some, the Jesus’Bible might challenge thinking or even offer more information than wanted! Despite the scholarly nature of the book, however, the author writes in an accessible style that keeps the text from being as dry as an old scroll.

As Dr. Dost quickly points out in the introduction, “There was no Bible in Jesus’ day. The Torah and the Prophets – the first two sections of what would become the Hebrew Bible – were essentially canonized (i.e., accepted as authoritative), but they were still textually fluid. The third section, however, the Writings, was not fixed.”

Another aspect of fluidity arose because of the Hebrew manner of writing words in consonants only with no vowels included.  Dr. Dost gives examples of this, but if we look at the same situation in English, that might help to clarify problems that arise in translation. 

For instance, take the English words “mite,” mate,” “mote,” or “moot” and remove the vowels, as Hebrew scribes would do, and you’d have “mt.” As you can see, each of those words has an entirely different meaning to be determined only by the context in which the word is found. 

In addition, the connotations and denotations of a word can change over time. For example, a “mite” in Jesus’ day brings to mind the widow with a single coin left to her name, while in our era, the word might mean we need to put protective covers on our pillows and mattresses to keep out dust mites!

Besides the fact that a living language does not remain static, there’s the regional dialect to consider. In Virginia, for instance, “a run” doesn’t mean a 5K race but a brook, a creek, or, as some parts of the country say, a crick, which, for me, means an achy neck.

Similarly, “The Hebrew Bible was penned over the course of the first millennium BCE in what is known today as the Middle East. Many of the biblical tests were written in Israel and Judah (roughly modern-day Israel and Palestine), while others were written in Babylonia (southeastern Iraq) and in Egypt.” The author also goes on to say, “…we cannot overstate how significantly foreign domination impacted the growth, development, and interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures.”

Along those lines, we learn “…that the oldest extant (i.e., still in existence) Christian Bible was not limited to the modern Protestant Canon. In fact, when we examine a list of the New Testament’s quotations and allusions to sacred Jewish texts, we see that the writers of the New Testament have a much bigger ‘Bible’ than do twenty-first century Protestant Christians….”

 We’re talking now about the “apocryphal” books (a misnomer, as they’ve never been hidden), which are part of the Greek scriptures (aka Septuagint.) As Dr. Dost explains:

“Because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic, one might expect early Christianity to have revered the ‘original’ much as the Reformers did, but such was not the case. The Septuagint was for all intents and purposes the Bible for many Jews in antiquity. And since early Christianity was really no more than a movement within first-century Palestinian Judaism, it should be no surprise that the Septuagint was immensely important for the writers of the New Testament. In fact, those who regard Paul as the author of 2 Timothy must conclude that ‘all scripture,’ which the letter’s author regards as ‘inspired and profitable,’ includes both the Hebrew and the Greek, since Paul quotes extensively from the Septuagint in his writings.”

If these well-researched thoughts seem at all upsetting, lovers of the Protestant version of the Bible might be glad to know that the beloved King James Version originally contained more books than it does now.  In addition, publishers of the accurate and evangelically oriented English Standard Version of the Bible typically omit the apocryphal books in both reader and study editions, but the ESV translation of the Apocrypha is available as a separate volume, well worth reading – not only for the wisdom to be found but for the historical accounts of events that occurred between the Old and New Testaments.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, poet-author and Bible reviewer

To order, click this link

Jesus' Bible: A Concise History of Hebrew Scriptures, paperback

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100 Days with Jesus: a book review

When Lifeway Bloggers kindly sent me a review copy of 100 Days with Jesus written by Diann Cotton and published by B&H, I saw what a fine gift this book makes for Easter, new Christians, or anyone who wants to get better acquainted with Jesus the Person and Jesus the Messiah.

Those of us who had the blessing of being introduced to Christ years ago might be more apt to use this well-made little hardback as a reminder of the character and power of our Lord.

With an inspiring photograph on the left page and a Bible reference, definition, and “name” of Jesus on the right, brief devotionals on the “Chosen One,” the “Prince of Peace,” the “Reconciler,” the “Source of Eternal Salvation,” and more can provide a springboard for meditation and contemplation of Who Christ IS in our lives.

To give you an idea of the text and format, “Consolation” begins by quoting Luke 2:25-30 in the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) version then provides a definition of consolation followed by a one-paragraph response including these words:

“Simeon waited his whole life to see the One who would rescue and comfort his people. When he realized You were the One, he had complete peace. He knew that You were the only answer to this broken world…”

The page closes with a question and suggestion:

“To what are you looking for CONSOLATION and comfort? Thank Him, praise Him, and worship Him as your CONSOLATION today!!”

As another example, the page on Jesus as “Head of the Church,” says: “Jesus, You are the HEAD - the One who gives leadership and supplies the spiritual life to the body of believers…” then goes on to ask, “How does this give you peace today, knowing that Jesus is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH?”

May each “name” of Jesus lead us to pray for the church and our part in His Body and help us to receive Christ's consolation for ourselves and the world.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2018, poet-writer, reviewer

100 Days with Jesus, hardback



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Bible Promises to Live By for Women

In Bible Promises to Live By for Women, which Tyndale House kindly sent me to review, Katherine J. Butler has collected and grouped relevant scriptures from “Abandonment” to “Worship” into one small book you can easily carry with you for a quick burst of spiritual energy from God’s Word.

As the “Introduction” tells us, “God knows the immense power a promise holds and has filled his Word with promises for his people. Some of God’s promises provide us with strength, perseverance, and encouragement to guide us through everyday life. Others speak to the deep desires inside each of us as we long to know that our future holds joy, security, purpose, value, and companionship. And because God has declared that his Word will last forever, we can trust him to keep…every promise.”

Using the alphabetically arranged table of contents as your guide, you’ll find over 500 verses on topics that mean the most to you at any particular moment. In addition, a brief word of encouragement provides a preface to the Bible verses chosen for this little edition.

And small it is! In about 4.5 x 5.5 inches, the linen-textured gray cover, featured as imitation leather, envelopes the pale blue-green pages with the font in a medium shade of blue-green. Although very attractive, this presentation might be harder for some to read. Also, the book does not lay flat when opened, but it should slip nicely into most purses or shoulder bags to give you a timely word from God’s Word.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2017

Bible Promises to Live By for Women, linen-look gray cover



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