For Every Season

Sometimes I’m asked what my favorite Bible verse is. It’s kind of a hard question to answer, because I have a lot of favorite verses. A lot depends on what I’m going through at the moment.

For instance, if I’m in a difficult and worrisome situation, I suppose my favorite verses are Philippians 4:6–7: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NKJV).

Then again, if things aren’t making sense or seem a bit chaotic, my favorite Scripture verse at that moment is John 14:1, where Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me” (NKJV).

When things are not making sense, Romans 8:28 is absolutely my go-to verse: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV).

Overall, if I had to choose just one verse, then Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite: “ ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope’ ” (NKJV).

If God had simply said, “I know this single thought that I had about you for a nanosecond,” I would be happy with that, wouldn’t you?” But that is not what God says. He said, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you” (emphasis added). They’re not singular but plural. They’re present tense and future tense. God is at work in our lives, and He has a plan and a purpose.