Inspirational Bible Verses that Give Hope, Faith, Joy, or Guidance

In times of turmoil, suffering, or stress, the Holy Bible gives comfort and direction to human minds and hearts. Frequently, the household Bible sits undisturbed, on a shelf or table, until a severe crisis turns a family's world upside down.

In my case, my family was very moralistic, but not very religious, even though my parents believed in God. As a teenager, I sometimes attended church and Sunday School with friends from numerous church denominations, including Roman Catholic. At the age of 22, I was baptized and joined the Baptist Church.

During the next few years, I frequently attended church and Sunday School and even taught Sunday School lessons to a class of sixth grade girls.

In 1969, tragedy struck. My four-year-old son was killed when a drunk driver ran a stop sign and struck my car. My agony could not be comforted by the Bible scriptures offered by church members. None of the scriptures they quoted answered the question, "Why is a child taken?", to my satisfaction. The sharp pain was gradually replaced with an almost bearable ache, turmoil, anger, and confusion. After many months, I started searching the Bible to find answers that I could understand. I finally read a verse that made me realize that, in my mind, there was no satisfying answer to my question, only acceptance of what I could not change.

The Bible verse that made the biggest impact in my life is:
Romans 9:15 I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. (New International Version or NIV)

I had always felt in charge of my life; the cause and effect of my actions. If I did "this", then "that" would happen or, if not, then my actions would adjust until a workable solution happened. Romans 9:15 jolted me into the realization that "I am not in control of my life; God is". There was no workable solution, only acceptance. Acceptance made it possible for me to move forward with my life.

Over the years, I have found a few other inspirational Bible verses that give me hope, faith, joy, or guidance and would like to share them with the hope that they will touch someone else's life.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. (NIV)

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. (NIV)

Proverbs 27:19 As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. (NIV)

Proverbs 30:8 - 9 O God, -- give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may become content without God. And if I am too poor, I may steal, and thus insult God's holy name. (New Living Translation or NLT)

Personal note: Proverbs 30:8 - 9 truly inspire prayer time and the need to add thankfulness for the blessings you have received.

Quote from Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Connection)
A God-Fashioned Life Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God's purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on earth when he's planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on earth to build and strengthen our character for heaven.

Rick Warren offers a free daily devotional email based on Bible verses that are inspirational at the following link:

http://profile.purposedriven.com/managesubscriptionssimple.aspx