Here are some verses that have sustained me over the years. What words from God’s word have sustained you?

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

We can always do the will of God. That option is always available, even when we cannot visualize beyond today.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What a wonderful gift indeed. This is why Jesus came to earth. It is so essential to remember that our very life, our salvation, is the utter and complete gift of God. We did not and cannot do anything to deserve being saved.

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

I was always coming to God to ask for help, for wisdom. I clung to the fact that he was not going to find fault with me for asking so often.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

After I graduated from college when I was 25, I faced major surgery within two weeks for a very large, complicated tumor on the right ovary. The doctor told me that it didn’t look good. I  remember praying to God about my life, whether I should live or die, and coming to acceptance. This verse gave me hope for the future. (The tumor turned out to be stage IV endometriosis).

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.