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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday


Today's Proverbs 31 Devotion is about those tight places of stress and anxiety we find ourselves in. So I thought today I would share ten of my favorite go-to verses for my tight places. I hope these verses serve as an encouragement to you:

1. 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. (Isaiah 41:10)

2. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 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. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Isaiah 43:1b-3a)

3. Your father knows what you need before you ask him. So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today's trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:8b, 31-34)

4. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11: 28-31)

5. Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest. (Luke 12:25-26)

6. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

7. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

8. If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 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. (Romans 8: 31b, 35, 37-39)

9. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

10. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:6-8)
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18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you. Needed all of them today. Cindy

Unknown said...

This is my first time on your site. I receive the Crosswalk Daily Encouragement emails and I don't think I have ever had one come across that I needed so much at just the right time. Thank you for answering your calling and allowing God to use you to reach me. God Bless! Becky

Marybeth Whalen said...

Thanks Cindy and Becky-- glad this was helpful to you to have.

Anonymous said...

Marybeth,

I don't usually leave comments on posts however this one was right on time. I am definitely in a "tight place" and felt no way out but your devotion spoke volumes to my spirit today. Thank you

Johanna

Cheri Bunch said...

Awesome devotion today, Marybeth! Practical and sound advice. I know that so many will be blessed by it! Blessings, Cheri

Anonymous said...

Marybeth:

I have been calling out to God desperately for the last three days. It seems like He has turned a deaf ear to me. I keep trying to repeat scripture but the words just make me angry. Why is God silent sometimes?

Marybeth Whalen said...

Anonymous, I have no idea what God is trying to accomplish in your life but I have prayed for your heart to be comforted as you seek His answers. My heart goes out to you.

Zibilee said...

Number 3 is a verse that I always seem to go back to, over and over again. I guess that it;s just because I am a natural worrier.

Lori said...

I've been feeling overwhelmed by many things lately. Your devotional and companion verses were just what I needed today! God is so good and faithful and I am grateful to Him for you. Bless you!

heather vowell pierce said...

Marybeth
Thank you, thank you, thank you. God always has someone say what I need to hear when I need to hear it and today it was you. I have been reading your book Financially Free that you wrote with your husband. We are stressed to our limits right now. My husband has been away on military for two years, our finances are not where they need to be, are marriage and family is not where it needs to be and then to top it all off from the flood we are having in our town we had water damage to our home which didn't help our stress levels. This morning I told one of our ministers I wanted to escape and not be a mom, wife, or anything for a few days. I came home to read your devotional and then your blog.

Please pray for me as I am praying to find the money to attend She Speaks and as I said mney is tight. I feel right now it is one more stresser but I also feel God calling me to be there.

Thanks for your encouragement and ministry.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the devotional. Sometimes I am embarrassed by the things I think are stressful when I know there are people all around that would love to be where I am today. I just thank God I have such minor "tight" places and because of people like you, I know to turn to Him! Thank you again!

Anonymous said...

Hi....couldn't sleep for some reason. Felt I hD to start this morning with Gods encouragement and read your devotional. I am inthe midst of my tight place ! It felt suffocating for a while and frantic but this week God is bringing his peace . Your words and those verses were encouraging and I will try to meditate on them when anxiety tries to rear it's ugly head. Bless you !

Tricia said...

What an encouragement at the time I needed the absolute most!!! I have been stressed to the MAX with work and my upcoming wedding to the point of making me sick. 3 trips to the doctor, 2 tests, and a pile of blood work to show its just stress and anxiety. These are the powerful reminders I need to keep calm and trust on the unfailing love of Christ and his ultimate healing. His grace is sufficient and I do not need to be anxious about anything. Thank-you for being the blessing I needed today.

Joyful said...

All those verses are so precious to me right now Marybeth. I actually have a pillowcase with many of them written on it...and I rest my weary head on His promises at night and rest.

Hugs,
Joy

Brenda said...

Thank you for sharing those verses. They were just what I needed to hear this week.

Colleen Reske said...

In reading your devotional, I am renewed in my purpose to call on God when I am in tight places. Sometimes I feel a resistance inside me that tells me I can do it on my own and don't bother God with this! But when i release my hold on my life, and pass my worries onto God, a peace envelops me that I cannot understand. Why would I stress when I can have peace instead?
Thank you for your words, especially the application step to develop my own personal path to remember to "Give it all to God". That is a song in my head that's been trying to be written for some time. I would love to finish it as I believe it will be an encouragement to others someday.
My prayer, too, is "I trust You, O God" and I truly believe that in Him all things are possible.
Thanks for the great go-to verses. I will add them to my collection!
Blessings,
Colleen

Mike said...

Hi Marybeth,
So glad you posted this list. I hadn't realized how much all of these verse have become ingrained into my heart for similar reasons - at various times each of them has been my anchor in some sort of storm.

Thanks,
Mike

Jerralea said...

Thanks, Marybeth. I am doing a devotion next week on stress. I think these verses would make a great handout to go along with what I have prepared.

I always find inspiration here