Photo: Aaron Burden – Unsplash

Sometimes I need a Bible verse to turn to, to remind me of God’s love, of who I am in Christ, or of the beauty, goodness and power of God. Here are a few verses that I turn to regularly. I hope it’s helpful to you to have them all in one place, whether to praise God, to turn to him in trust, or to fight off the schemes of the devil in the Spirit’s power. All verses are NIV unless otherwise stated.

God’s love for us

1 John 3:1-3 – “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Romans 5:5 – “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Romans 5:8 – “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Romans 8:35-39 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 3:17-19 – “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

1 John 4:8-10 – “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 – “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Isaiah 65:19 – “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”

Isaiah 62:4-5 – “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”

Children of the king, made perfect forever

Galatians 4:6-7 – “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

Romans 8:15 – “You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry ‘Abba, Father.’..”

2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

John 17:3 – “Now this is eternal life – that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Adoring God in his goodness / beauty / provision

Psalm 73:25-26 – “Whom have I in heaven but you, and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Psalm 16:2 – ‘I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”’

Psalm 16:11 – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (ESV)

Psalm 84:11 – “The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

Psalm 34:8 – “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Romans 8:28 – “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Psalm 27:4 – “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”

Hebrews 4:15 – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”

Psalm 31:19 – “Oh how abundant is your goodness which you have stored up for those who fear you.”

Psalm 87:7 – ‘As they make music they will sing “All my fountains are in you.”’

John 4:13-14 – “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Psalm 43:4 – “Then will I go to the altar of God, to God my joy and my delight.”

Psalm 36:5-9 – “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”

Reassurance about God’s sovereignty and care

John 10:27-28 – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No-one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

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.”’

1 Timothy 1:17 – “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory now and forever, Amen.”

Isaiah 40:22 – “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and all its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 – “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal.”

Daniel 7:14 – “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

Habakkuk 2:20 – “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

Ps 115:3 – “Our God sits in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

The greatness and majesty of God / Jesus Christ

Hebrews 1:1-3 – “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Revelation 1:17-18 – “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever!And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

Romans 11:33-36 – ‘Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.’

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 – “I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”

Isaiah 6:1-5 – ‘In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”’

John 17:24 – “I want those you have given me to be with me, when I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me…”

God / Christ as the focus of heaven

Revelation 7:17 – “The lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Hebrews 11:10 – “Abraham was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

John 14:3 – “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Revelation 21:1-4 – ‘Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”’