A Verse a Day

   Have you ever just had a certain amount of time where things don’t seem to be going your way? It could be a week, month, or a year; it doesn’t really matter how long it just seems like it will never end. You may be wondering “where is God? Doesn’t he care? Why doesn’t he answer me?” To those questions we could just do the typical quote “everything happens for a reason,” which it does. Or, we could quote God’s Not Dead 2 “When you are going through something hard and wonder where God is, remember the teacher is always quiet during the test.” I don’t know about you but sometimes those answers just are not good enough.

   I am a Christian. I grew up in a Christian home, went to church my whole life, and I now teach children to love Christ. I know the typical answers to suffering. Suffering helps us grow, you just need to have faith in God’s plan, this is happening for a reason, etc. I have played those answers over and over on repeat in my mind. But, I still wonder: where is God? Why do the people who obey his commandments get burned and others get off scotch free?

   During one of these episodes when I was wondering if God even cared and where he was my phone buzzed. I have the YouVersion Bible app on my phone. Each day the app has a verse of the day that it sends to your phone. Most of the time I just read the verse and moved on. However, one week when I was going through a time where I wondered where God was I got a week of answers from this app.

   The week started off with this verse: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom.8.18). When I got that verse I hoped that it was true. Now, I know the verse is true because if I did not I would not be a Christian. At that point I was really low and not sure if I could go on. I decided that day that I would focus on that verse that day and remember that eventually all the pain would go away.
   The next day I was feeling a little better but I still was far from okay. Then I received this verse: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isa.43.2). I had felt so alone for so long. This verse reminded me that God is with me no matter what I am going through. And, God has already defeated what I was going through.
   Okay, at this point I was getting back to my normal self but, if you are an over thinker like me you know this, I had doubts and still was upset about what happened to me. The next verse came on my phone: “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord" (Isa.54.17). At that point I was speechless; this verse went along well with what I was going through. People had falsely accused me of something. People had judged me before they got to know me. I was hurt and broken. This verse reminded me that just because that happened life was not over. In the end God wins.

   Now, my ordeal was over the course of a year. During that year I was upset and offended by the people who had wronged me. That doesn’t seem like it would be that bad except not forgiving others is a sin. The next verse on my phone confirmed that: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John.1.9). I realized I had to let go of my unforgiving attitude. I had to release these people so I confessed my unforgiving attitude to God.
   I was beginning to finally move on. But, I was still confused about why I had to go through what I went through. Cue the verse of the day: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” (Rom.5.3-4). I knew this verse, it is one of the reasons why I believe everything happens for a reason, but God knew I just needed this reminder that suffering helps us grow.
   Things seemed to be going well. I had forgiven and was starting to get over what happened to me. Then this verse came to my phone: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Mat.5.44). I had forgiven those who wronged me, I had. But, God was calling me to take it a step further. I had to pray for those who wronged me. I knew some of the things the people who hurt me were going through. I knew they had hard times too. In order to show my love to them I prayed for the situations they were going through.
   I felt so much better. Then I got another verse: “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col.3.13). I did not understand this one. I thought I had forgiven everyone who wronged me. I searched my heart and I realized that I had not forgiven myself. I did my best in the situation but I began to hate myself over what happened. I felt like a failure. I had to let go of what happened, forgive myself for the thoughts I had about myself, and give it to God.
   And so we come full circle. I had a week of verses that touched me personally. But, God had a bonus for me: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (Jam.1.17). I had lost a lot because of this situation. It had been a long time since I felt like I had a gift come. But, that verse reminded me that each day is a gift. I may not know what God has for me next but I know that he gives me little gifts every day, even if it doesn’t feel like it some days. God was speaking to me; just not in the way I expected, go figure. He is speaking to you too. Are you listening?

   "A verse a day keeps you following His way" (Kaitlyn Scheuing). 
   Image from here.