The Bible is filled with powerful prayers that will open your heart and deepen your faith. Here is a sample from our free eBooklet, Pray the Bible. For more prayers from Scripture, download your copy.
5 Faith Tips to Boost Your Energy
Why do we grow weary? Sometimes we become weary because there are burdens in life that are just plain hard. Deep grief, a long-term illness, the stress of extended financial distress and loss—these things can hold us captive and are sufferings from which we cannot easily escape.
Yet sometimes I wonder if the reason we grow weary is because God designed us to need refreshment. He made our bodies so that they need sleep in order to function and “our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11) to sustain life.
The cycle of work and rejuvenation seems to be built into us as surely as “there was evening, and there was morning” (Genesis 1:8). We are commanded to rest “even during the plowing season and harvest” (Exodus 34:21), because we are to follow the example of our Creator—and because it is what our bodies need.
And yet even when we align our lives with the cycle that the Father laid out for us, even when we are eating regularly and healthily, even when we are getting enough exercise, there are times when weariness worms its way into our souls. Galatians 6:9 admonishes: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
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Five Steps to Boost Your Spirit
Staying focused on our faith and on what God asks us to do is the best way to keep energized.
1. Don’t do unnecessary things.
Focus your heart on doing what God puts right in front of you today before you pay attention to anything else on your to-do list. His work doesn’t have to be outwardly grand or glorious; it may be something very simple (and easy to overlook). “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
2. Stay connected.
We are made for companionship and community, and living in isolation is tiring to the soul. If no one is reaching out to you, take the initiative and reach out to others! For “whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).
3. Confess your sins regularly.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). If God can be worn down by our trespasses, so can we! Carrying around a guilt-laden soul is sure to weary us.
4. Seek revitalization instead of numbness.
When we’re tired, the easiest course of action is often to do something mindless. But it is the Lord who “refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). Turning to Him works far better than turning on the television.
5. Know what brings you joy.
When we are weary, we often cannot even remember what lifts our hearts. Keep a list of your blessings handy, to help you re-focus on what really matters.
Weariness and the need for refreshment is built into our very bodies. It prompts us to turn daily to God, from whom all goodness flows and on whom we rely for help. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). What an energizing promise!
5 Comforting Bible Verses for Safe Travel
Travel is a blessing, but it can also spark anxiety. Rest your cares in God’s Word. Scripture about safe travel reminds us of God’s love for us no matter where we are in the world. Here are 5 encouraging Bible verses for safe travel:
5 Bible Verses to Help You Hear God’s Voice
Our family was on a late-summer hike along the Appalachian Trail, going up and down through the woods, treading carefully over the rocks—at least I was—and chatting the whole while, enjoying each other’s company.
Then my nephew Kirk said, “Let’s be silent for a while. Spread out a bit and just walk.” (Kirk is a middle-school math teacher and even though I still think of him as a kid, he can put on that teacher’s voice of authority.)
“Good idea,” we said. We spread out along the trail so that you could only see one person ahead through the trees, and we hiked in silence. Afternoon light shimmered through the branches, dry leaves crunched underfoot, a marmot darted along the path. What a difference it made.
When I was a kid in Sunday school it baffled me how people in the Bible heard God speak to them. “How?” I wondered. This seemed to be a good example. God’s creation was speaking loud and clear. We just needed to get silent for a while. Here are some Bible verses to help you hear God’s voice.
1) Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. (Psalm 37:7)
In an age of texts, emails, minute-by-minute news updates, it’s so easy to forget the importance of being still. Not for nothing do I leave my phone in the other room when I sit on the sofa each morning to get still with God.
2) If one gives answer before hearing, it is folly and shame. (Proverbs 18:13)
I’m terribly guilty of this. Thinking of the clever thing I’m going to say instead of fully listening to another. Is it not possible that I do the same thing with the Lord? Why would my answer be better?
3) My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27)
One of the things I love about sheep is how they move together—either shepherded by a dog or a person. How wonderful to think that we might hear best in groups (at church or in a Bible study) by our good Shepherd.
4) For God speaks in one way, and in two, though people do not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the nights, when deep sleep falls on mortals… (Job 33:15)
I write down my dreams first thing in the morning when I can remember them. They can be confusing and compelling all at once, but in Scripture we see how God spoke to people in their dreams. He still does.
5) So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17)
Jesus didn’t leave behind a big building or a list of rules or a signed manuscript so how do we know the word of Christ? Through His followers. The stories they told and retold and put down that we can read and retell and live.
I don’t know if my Sunday school teacher would give me two or three stars but I would say, yes, I think I know how God speaks to us. Through others, through listening, through reading, through dreams and through stillness—a silence that speaks volumes.
5 Bible Verses to Help You Declutter
My wife Carol and I got the decided to declutter months ago and did what you’re supposed to do, giving away all that stuff in the back of closets and drawers that we hadn’t used or touched in…years.
Then came Covid-19 and sheltering-in-place, and suddenly, we were spending much more time in our home. We started looking for things we’d thrown out that we now missed. Like those muffin tins and folding chairs and that extra pair of shorts. (Less is more, but more sometimes gets in the way of less.)
“It’s not possessing something that is harmful, but being attached to it,” wrote one of the Desert Fathers, a monk, a hermit, someone who would know. It got me looking at the Bible for what it says about our attachment to things.
1) Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
It’s hard not to feel a sentimental attachment to things. That baseball glove that the boys used playing catch, an old frisbee, a salad bowl that belonged to Mom, Dad’s old Bible. They are reminders of love. But as this verse reminds us, the love is the heavenly part. Not the things themselves. Love is forever. Possessions aren’t.
2) Then He said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
I tell myself that I’m not into acquiring lots of things. But take a look at all the books gathering dust on my shelves, some I have never even read but I promise to…someday. Do I even know what’s there? Is it knowledge I prize or the image they convey that matters?
3) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1Timothy 6:10)
When I sit in prayer every morning, I’m surprised how often my thoughts turn to money. I’ll be thinking of God and all of the sudden—how swiftly the mind moves—I’ll be balancing the checkbook in my head and wondering about when a deposit will appear.
Quite frankly, I’m glad to think about money during prayer time. It’s a chance to balance my account with God: “You know what to do with these financial worries, Lord. Have ‘em.”
4) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)
Generosity, that’s the real measure of a life. Not what we have but what we give. And it’s well worth considering the widow’s mite. It’s not how big the gift is but how much it takes from us and how joyfully it’s shared. Decluttering a life means giving. Not having.
5) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
It’s not that things don’t matter. God understands that we need to eat, need clothing to wear, need a roof over our heads. “All these things will be given to you…” as this verse reminds us. It’s how we prioritize those things that matters. What comes first? Love. God’s love. God’s kingdom.
5 Bible Verses to Battle the Summer Heat
Heat getting to you? Wonder how you’re going to get through August? Giving thanks for your air-conditioning? (Dr. Peale used to say that the biggest life-changing invention of the 20th century was the air conditioner.) Take cooling solace in these verses—and while you’re at it, a cooling glass of water.
1) As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)
This is the way God planned it, the seasons folding into each other. When I want to curse the heat, I think of how I will feel on a bitterly cold day—I might even miss the heat.
2) “…and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42)
A hot day might offer a chance to cool yourself off as you cool someone else off. Think what a cup of cold water would have meant in Jesus’ time, as close as you could get to air conditioning.
3) Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat. (Psalm 19:6)
Sometimes I remind myself that God is in the heat (as I take refuge in the shade). After all, where does the heat come from? The sun, of course, and we would all whither and die without it. Just as nothing is hid from God, nothing escapes the sun’s rays.
4) Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. (Proverbs 25:25)
Jesus is the good news, and He is ready to fill all thirsty souls. Yes, check the weather. Be prepared. On a hot day I go out for my morning (slow) jog first thing, before the worst of the heat kicks in, but that’s not all my thirsty soul requires.
5) They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. (Isaiah 49:10)
Just when you want to say, “I can’t last another day in this heat,” remember the One who has pity on us and guides us no matter the weather or the season. Those cooling springs of water are nearby, no matter what. Look for them. And thank God for that air conditioning too.
5 Bible Verses That Offer Hope
Find your fears getting the worst of you? Figure you should be able to pray away the worries? Give yourself a little help. Meditate on one or more of these verses to flood yourself with hope.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… (Matthew 22:37)
Don’t get wrapped up with what might happen in the future. Focus on today. That’s all Jesus asks of us, to love. It’s the greatest and first commandment, as He says, and the second is like it…
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)
Focus on all those who need help as much as you do. Pray for them. Sometimes I even go through the alphabet, finding a name to pray for with every letter. Loving my neighbor as myself. With social distancing we can’t necessarily be at our neighbor’s side. But we can pray.
You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day. (Psalm 91:5)
This psalm might seem timely for its references to things like “the deadly pestilence.” More importantly it stresses what we are to do with fear. God knows how we feel. No use hiding it. Let it go in prayer.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
I suspect that Paul in writing to the Romans is also saying this prayer to himself. Do the same. Email or text a prayer to a friend.
Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles… (Isaiah 40:31)
Have you noticed how birds rise on updrafts? It’s not effortful flapping of wings that give them the power; it’s the air. Similarly, we can rise in hope finding those updrafts in the Spirit.
Each day is new. I hear some scary statistic on the news and my fears rise up. I’m just as guilty as the next guy. That’s why I need Scripture. Not just once in a while. All the time. You should have heard me muttering to myself this morning as I went out for my run: “You shall love the Lord your God…”
That’s a prayer bringing me comfort. I hope it brings you peace as well.
5 Bible Verses That Encourage Rest
I don’t know about y’all, but sometimes I treat the word “rest” like it’s a bad word. It’s not a natural fit on my to-do list. I’ve got places to go and things to do. Deadlines hover over me. Dryer buzzers beep for my attention. And daily surprises hijack my schedule.
I’ve been beyond busy the past few months. I’ve had amazing doors that God opened for me and other stuff I wanted to do, but after three days this week when it was all I could do to get out of bed, it dawned on me that I’m tired. My body is screaming, “I need rest!” And since I do have a little common sense, I’m trying to pay attention.
God promises to give us rest, and I’m so grateful for that. I suspect many of you also need some rest today, so I thought I’d share some of His sweet promises for us:
1. He promises to give rest for our souls.
“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 11:28-30)
2. He promises to be with us.
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)
3. He has rest waiting for us.
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.“ (Hebrews 4:9)
4. We can count on rest and strength…but the secret is waiting on Him.
He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:29-31)
5. Even Jesus rested.
Yes, even in the midst of a mighty storm. He knew the end of the story that day, and He knows every detail of our stories. So we can rest in Him…and we can be wise and follow His example to rest.
Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)
So let’s take care of yourselves. Let’s follow His example and get some rest—because we can’t pour into the lives of others if we’re running on empty ourselves.
5 Bible Verses for Strength
When you face obstacles or feel that your problems are bigger than you are, let these Bible verses bring you strength and hope.
5 Bible Verses for Gazing at the Moon
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 50 years since Apollo 11 landed and the world watched in wonder as Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon. Reflecting on these Scriptures can remind us of the awe of God’s lunar creation.
1) “And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; He made the stars also.” (Genesis 1:16)
Sunlight is constant but moonlight changes with the days. When a cloud covers the sun, we can still know the sun’s illumination. We can see by it. But when the moon shrinks from the sky, it is gone. Indeed a lesser light.
2) “Like the moon it shall be established for ever; it shall stand firm while the skies endure.” (Psalm 89:37)
The moon here is a metaphor for something that is everlasting. What is especially lovely about our moon is that it is permanent and yet changing. When I look to the sky and see a new sliver of a moon on a cloudless night, I’m thrilled by the discovery. As though I were seeing it for the first time.
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3) “Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the hurt of His people, and heals the wounds inflicted by His blow.”(Isaiah 30:26)
These are the words of a prophet and no prophecy is complete without acknowledging the daily power of what we see in the sky.
4) “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations…”(Luke 21:25)
Jesus, too, made His prophecies, warning His followers of the troubles to come, trying to tell them about His own horrible death and the destruction of Jerusalem. Such things are never easy to hear. And yet we are always to look to the heaven for signs. Perhaps the mere act of looking up is the key sign of our willingness to trust what we can never fully know.
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5) “When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?” (Psalm 8:3)
In the end, gazing at the moon can only remind us of the magnificent smallness of humanity and the overwhelming magnificence of God. And to marvel how we are prized by the divine.
5 Bible Verses for Difficult Days
Have you ever had a week where it seemed like every time you turned around someone you love was hurting? My email and Facebook page have been filled with requests for prayer. Most of them have been for huge, life-changing situations, from serious and sometimes life-threatening illness to wrecked relationships.
Frankly, I have felt overwhelmed, helpless to do anything but say, “I love you, I’m praying for you, and I’m here if I can help in any way.”
I suspect we’ve all faced times like this. Or times when we’re the ones going through the fire. So I thought this would be a good time to share some of God’s sweet promises that we can cling to during difficult days:
1) “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
2) “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)
READ MORE: HOW TO MAKE GOOD DAYS LAST
3) “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
4) “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:7-8)
5) “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” (Psalm 9:9-10)
I’m so grateful that His grace is sufficient. I’m thankful that I can look back at the hard times that I’ve encountered in my life and tell you that He’s a faithful God. I’m blessed that I can say that He’s never once failed me. Not once.
And even though I’d like to think that I’m His favorite child, I know that you are just as loved and that He’ll do the same for you.
Tried and proven.
5 Bible Verses About Angels
Angels are mentioned over 100 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament. Here are some favorite angelic Scriptures about God’s messengers.