Finding Inspiration for Your Life from the Bible

Inspiration for life can come from many different places, but one of the best is the Bible. Whether a Christian, or someone just open to inspiration from different sources, the Bible provides so much. The Bible says that by knowing and keeping God's word in our minds, we can be prepared to handle problems that come our way. The following are five verses that I keep in my mind, to inspire and comfort me in my own life.

• "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

I chose this specific verse because it is one I learned as a child and has always stuck with me. Rereading the section, I realized that I need to include verses 89-120 in my explanation of what I find inspiration about this verse. Throughout the whole section, the author is expressing how perfect and enduring is the Word of God, how it guides us on the safe path and protects us against wickedness. The author cannot contain his love of God's law and his desire to follow it, a very different message than what we receive from the world today. The world sees God's law as restrictive and cruel, but it is not. It is liberating because it is made by a God who loves us, made to protect us from the dangers of the world, both physical and spiritual.

• "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13

Again, this verse is the one I keep most in my head and heart, but the thought is extended to verse 16. To explain why this verse is important to me, you have to understand that I am unapologetically Pro-Life, but also that while I am a Christian, I am not Pro-Life because I am a Christian. I can support my beliefs Constitutionally, socially, etc. The Christian in me, though, does find comfort in these words from the Bible. These verses, written by King David, praise God for forming him, watching over him, and planning for his life while he was still just a fetus, growing and developing within his mother. It is the most beautiful Biblical acknowledgement, in my mind, that God sees and attaches value to the lives of the unborn.

• "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34b

These are the words of Jesus spoken, or perhaps yelled, to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a group of Jews who felt that if they kept the letter of the law perfectly, they were perfect. They were the "holier than thou" group of the time, and they were the ones that Jesus spent the most time trying to reform. Why? Because while their actions may have been following the law, their hearts were not for God, only for themselves. The verse struck me a couple months ago while I was struggling with my reactions toward my then 5-year-old. I would decide that I am going to start reacting more patiently, which would work for about three arguments. But this passage made me realize that what I do outwardly is never going to be right if I do not improve inwardly. I had to deal with my heart first, grow an attitude of patience and acceptance within that could join the unconditional love that I already had for her, before I could learn to control my outward reactions.

• "'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.'" Jeremiah 29:11

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. How amazingly comforting it is to know that God has plans for us! Our lives are not aimless, and while we may go through hardships, God's plans for us include hope. He is always there with us, even when we do not see how it could be. My husband and I chose these words for a reading in our wedding ceremony, because we felt that they were a wonderful foundation for optimism in starting a marriage in a time when so many marriages fail. God gives us a joint hope, that even when we have our rough patches, God has a plan to prosper our marriage.

• "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." Romans 8:28a

This verse is my absolute favorite, and I even painted it with a mural on the wall in my daughter's first nursery, which, like the Jeremiah verse, was an incredible comfort in a time of struggle. However, I think this verse is misunderstood, and that leads people to disregard it. After all, plenty of Christians go through bad times, so how can we believe that God works ALL things for our good? I believe that this verse does not mean that everything is going to be good in my life. There will always be suffering and heartache, because it is an imperfect world and I am an imperfect person. What it does mean is that God is going to use hardship to shape me, to being me closer to his righteousness, and work together for my salvation.

The Bible is a complex book with an abundance of stories, insights, and decrees that form the foundation of the Christian faith. While it can sometimes be confusing, we need to remember that it was written to inspire us, comfort us, and ultimately lead us to salvation. In that, we can find the ultimate inspiration.

(All verses are quoted from the New International Version, published by Zondervan).