Four Bible Passages to Read When Life Overwhelms You

When you’re grieving or going through hardship, do you turn to the Bible for help? When we reach out to God’s Word to help us through difficult times, it’s a comfort to learn that many heroes of the faith faced the same sorts of pain, loss, and grief—and record promises and truths that we can apply to our own situations.

I’ve chosen four Bible passages below that communicate a simple but powerful truth: God will not and does not forget us. It’s easy to slip into despair and loneliness when life overwhelms, but the writers of the Bible repeatedly remind us that God is always there.

1. Matthew 10:29-30

For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. — Matthew 10:29-30 (GNT)

Have you ever wondered how an infinite God could possibly care about a single person? In this passage, Jesus confirms that God does care about us. God cares actively about every corner of His Creation; if he keeps tabs on every sparrow, how much more would He care about a person made in His own image?

2. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace. — Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT)

There’s a reason behind everything that happens, good or ill—and God understands our pain and sorrow from a perspective that we don’t always perceive until after the fact (if ever). We should fully expect to live through “seasons” of grief… and we should remember that they’re passing storms.

3. Psalm 30:8-12

I cried out to you, Lord.
I begged my Lord for mercy:
“What is to be gained by my spilled blood,
by my going down into the pit?
Does dust thank you?
Does it proclaim your faithfulness?
Lord, listen and have mercy on me!
Lord, be my helper!”
You changed my mourning into dancing.
You took off my funeral clothes
and dressed me up in joy
so that my whole being
might sing praises to you and never stop.
Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever. — Psalm 30:8-12 (CEB)

The Psalms are filled with desperate pleas to God to remember His people in their distress. Here, the psalmist testifies to God’s healing power: he turned “mourning into dancing.” Have you ever experienced a transformation so profound?

4. Deuteronomy 31:8

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. —Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)

What could anyone add to this promise? God is with us; He sees despair, and He promises to be with us throughout our seasons of grief.

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Saturday, June 9, 2012