Draw a random verse about feeling lost and see how Scripture speaks to direction, purpose and being found.
What the Bible Says About Feeling Lost
Scripture does not treat being lost as a rare failure. Abraham left home without a destination, Hagar wandered a desert with a child, Elijah sat under a bush asking to die, and the psalmists often admit they do not know where to turn. Again and again the Bible answers with a God who searches. Jesus tells of a shepherd looking for one sheep, a woman sweeping for one coin and a father watching the road for a son, and in each story the lost one is valued before being found.
The Bible also separates feeling lost from being abandoned. Several writers describe confusion and still say that God knows their path, even when they cannot see it.
Where Feeling Lost Appears
The Psalms hold many prayers for guidance, such as Psalm 25, Psalm 119 and Psalm 143. Proverbs offers short reflections on plans and direction, and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel speak to exiles who had lost their land and sense of identity. Ezekiel 34 is especially vivid, because God promises to hunt for scattered sheep himself. In the Gospels, Luke 15 gathers the three famous parables of the lost, and John 10 develops the shepherd image. Reading these passages together shows a pattern: confusion is named plainly, and God's response is nearness and a next step rather than a full map. Acts shows Paul turned back from some roads before reaching Macedonia, which suggests that guidance sometimes arrives as a closed door.
A word of caution: a few verses, such as Jeremiah 29:11, were first written to a specific community in a specific situation. The notes beside each verse try to show that setting so the promise is not read too quickly as a personal forecast.
Ways to Use These Verses
- Draw one verse, read the surrounding chapter, and write down what the speaker was facing.
- Pick a guidance verse as a short daily prayer while you wait for a decision.
- Read a lost-and-found parable slowly and notice who does the searching.
- List two small, concrete next steps, since many biblical figures were guided one step at a time.
- Share a verse with a friend who is between jobs, schools or seasons.
If feeling lost has become heavy or has lasted a long time, it can help to talk with a trusted friend, pastor or counselor rather than carrying it alone.
For a wider mix of passages, try the Bible verse randomizer or the random encouraging Bible verse page, and browse the Bible books to read the full chapter around any verse that catches your attention.
Verses in This Collection
- Luke 15:4-6 – What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it , he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
Jesus tells of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one, answering critics who complained that he welcomed outcasts. - Luke 15:8-10 – Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it ? And when she hath found it , she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
A woman lights a lamp and sweeps her house for one lost coin; Jesus says heaven celebrates when one person turns back. - Luke 15:20-23 – And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; and let us eat, and be merry:
A father sees his returning younger son far off, runs to him and throws a feast, since the one he mourned is alive. - Luke 15:31-32 – And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
The father gently answers his resentful older son, explaining why the household must celebrate the return of a brother who had seemed lost. - Luke 19:10 – For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Jesus says this after tax collector Zacchaeus welcomes him home, describing his own mission as finding the lost. - Matthew 18:12-14 – How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep , than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Jesus tells disciples about a shepherd and a stray sheep, then says the Father does not want even one small person lost. - Psalm 23:1-3 – The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
David pictures God as a shepherd who provides rest, restores strength and leads along right paths for the sake of his own name. - Psalm 119:176 – I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
The writer ends a very long psalm admitting he has wandered like a lost sheep and asking God to come looking for him. - Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
In the suffering servant poem, the people admit they all wandered like sheep, and the LORD places the weight of their wrongs on his servant. - Ezekiel 34:11-12 – For thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
After condemning Israel's neglectful leaders, God says he will personally search for his scattered sheep, as a shepherd looks after a flock. - Ezekiel 34:16 – I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
God promises to hunt for the lost, bring back the strays and strengthen the weak, while confronting those who exploited the flock. - Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Written to exiles in Babylon, this letter promises a future and hope to the community, though it was not a quick fix for them. - Jeremiah 29:12-13 – Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me , when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jeremiah's letter to the exiles adds that when they pray and seek God wholeheartedly, he will listen and be found by them. - Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
A father urges his son to rely on God rather than his own understanding, and promises that God will make his paths straight. - Proverbs 16:9 – A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
A short proverb noting that people make plans in their hearts, while the LORD is the one who finally directs their steps. - Proverbs 19:21 – There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD , that shall stand.
A proverb observes that people carry many plans in their hearts, but the LORD's purpose is what finally stands firm. - Proverbs 16:3 – Commit thy works unto the LORD , and thy thoughts shall be established.
The proverb advises handing your work over to the LORD, with the promise that your plans will be established. - Psalm 32:8 – I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
In a psalm about forgiveness, God speaks directly, promising to teach, counsel and watch over the one who has confessed. - Psalm 25:4-5 – Shew me thy ways, O LORD ; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
David asks God to show him his ways and teach him his paths, waiting on him all day for guidance. - Psalm 25:8-9 – Good and upright is the LORD : therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
David says the LORD is good and upright, so he instructs sinners and guides the humble in what is right. - Psalm 37:23-24 – The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD : and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
The psalmist says God establishes the steps of a good person and holds his hand, so a stumble will not be a fatal fall. - Psalm 119:105 – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The writer describes God's word as a lamp for the feet, enough light for the next step on a dark road. - Psalm 119:133 – Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
The psalmist asks God to steady his steps by his word and keep wrongdoing from ruling over him. - Psalm 139:7-10 – Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there . If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
David asks where he could flee from God's presence and concludes that even at the far edge of the sea, God's hand guides him. - Psalm 139:23-24 – Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
David closes his psalm inviting God to search his heart and lead him in the way that lasts. - Psalm 143:8 – Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
David, pursued and weary, prays to hear God's love in the morning and asks to be shown the way he should walk. - Psalm 143:10 – Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
In the same prayer, David asks God to teach him to do his will and lead him on level ground. - Psalm 31:3 – For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
David, hiding from enemies, calls God his rock and fortress and asks to be led and guided for the sake of God's name. - Psalm 138:8 – The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD , endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
David trusts that the LORD will complete what concerns him, and asks God not to abandon the work of his hands. - Psalm 57:2 – I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
Written while David hid in a cave from Saul, this verse says he cries to the God who carries out his purpose for him. - Isaiah 30:21 – And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Isaiah promises that when God's people drift left or right, they will hear a voice behind them pointing out the right way. - Isaiah 42:16 – And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
God promises to lead the blind by roads they have not known and to turn darkness into light before them. - Isaiah 58:11 – And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Isaiah says that those who care for the hungry and oppressed will be guided continually and satisfied even in dry places. - Isaiah 43:1-2 – But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
God tells Israel in exile that he has redeemed and named them, and promises to be with them through water and fire. - Isaiah 40:11 – He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah pictures God as a shepherd who gathers lambs in his arms and gently leads the mothers of the flock. - Isaiah 55:8-9 – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Through Isaiah, God says his thoughts and ways are higher than ours, a reminder that his purposes often exceed what we can see. - Isaiah 46:10 – Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
God declares that he knows the end from the beginning and that his purpose will stand, contrasting himself with powerless idols. - Isaiah 41:10 – Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
God tells Israel not to be afraid because he is with them, promising to strengthen, help and hold them up. - Isaiah 35:8 – And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein .
Isaiah describes a highway of holiness for the redeemed, so plain that even travelers who are foolish will not get lost on it. - Jeremiah 10:23 – O LORD , I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Jeremiah admits that no one can fully direct his own steps, a humble confession that leads him to ask God for correction. - Jeremiah 31:3 – The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying , Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
God tells exiled Israel that he has loved them with an everlasting love and has drawn them to himself with kindness. - Jeremiah 31:10 – Hear the word of the LORD , O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
Jeremiah announces that the God who scattered Israel will gather them again and keep them as a shepherd keeps his flock. - Jeremiah 50:6 – My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
Jeremiah says God's people have been lost sheep, led astray by shepherds, and have forgotten their resting place. - Micah 7:8 – Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Micah says that though he has fallen and sits in darkness, the LORD will be a light to him. - Lamentations 3:22-23 – It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
In the middle of grief over Jerusalem's destruction, the poet recalls that God's mercies are not used up but arrive new each morning. - Hosea 2:14 – Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
God speaks of drawing unfaithful Israel into the wilderness to speak tenderly to her, turning a place of loss into a place of return. - Zephaniah 3:19 – Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
God promises to rescue the lame and gather the outcast, turning the shame of the scattered into praise. - Exodus 13:21 – And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
As Israel left Egypt, God led them by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, so they could travel any hour. - Exodus 33:14 – And he said, My presence shall go with thee , and I will give thee rest.
When Moses refused to lead Israel without God, the LORD promised that his presence would go with him and give him rest. - Deuteronomy 31:8 – And the LORD , he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Moses tells Joshua before Israel enters Canaan that the LORD himself goes ahead of him and will not leave him. - Deuteronomy 2:7 – For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
Moses reminds Israel that God watched over their forty years of wilderness wandering and they lacked nothing. - Deuteronomy 32:10 – He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
In his farewell song, Moses says God found Israel in a desert and protected them like the pupil of his eye. - Joshua 1:9 – Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
God commands the new leader Joshua to be strong and unafraid, since the LORD would be with him wherever he went. - Genesis 12:1 – Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
God calls Abram to leave his homeland for a land he has not yet been shown, an early picture of following without a map. - Genesis 28:15 – And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Jacob, running from his brother with nothing, dreams of a ladder, and God promises to keep him and bring him home. - Genesis 16:13 – And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
Hagar, a runaway servant in the desert, names the God who spoke to her as the one who sees. - Genesis 21:17-19 – And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is . Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
Hagar and her son Ishmael are lost in the wilderness without water; God hears the boy crying and opens her eyes to a well. - Genesis 24:27 – And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.
Abraham's servant, sent far away to find a wife for Isaac, praises God for leading him straight to the right household. - Genesis 50:20 – But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Joseph tells his brothers that although they meant harm, God turned the story toward saving many lives. - Exodus 3:10-12 – Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
God sends a hesitant Moses to Pharaoh, answering his doubts about himself with a promise of divine presence. - Ruth 2:3 – And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
Ruth, a widowed foreigner, happens to glean in Boaz's field; the book later shows God quietly guiding her hard circumstances. - 1 Samuel 30:6 – And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
David is in deep trouble when his men talk of stoning him, yet he finds strength in the LORD his God. - 1 Kings 19:12-13 – And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so , when Elijah heard it , that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Elijah, exhausted and wanting to give up, meets God not in wind or fire but in a low whisper. - 2 Chronicles 20:12 – O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
King Jehoshaphat, facing an invading army, tells God they are powerless and do not know what to do, but look to him. - Esther 4:14 – For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Mordecai tells Esther that deliverance will come from somewhere, and that she may have reached royal position for such a moment. - Job 23:8-10 – Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Job cannot find God anywhere he looks, yet he trusts that God knows the road he is on and will bring him through. - Ecclesiastes 3:1 – To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
The Teacher observes that life has seasons, with a fitting time for every matter under heaven, including times of searching. - Matthew 6:33 – But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells anxious listeners to put God's kingdom first, trusting that daily needs will follow. - Matthew 6:34 – Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Jesus ends his teaching on worry by telling people not to borrow tomorrow's trouble, since each day has enough of its own. - Matthew 11:28-30 – Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come to him, describing himself as gentle and offering rest for the soul. - Matthew 9:36 – But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Seeing crowds who were worn down and aimless, Jesus felt compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd. - Matthew 4:19 – And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Jesus calls fishermen Simon and Andrew to follow him, offering them a new purpose in place of their nets. - Mark 6:34 – And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Jesus lands to find a crowd waiting, feels compassion because they lack a shepherd, and begins teaching them at length. - John 10:3-4 – To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Jesus says the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and walks ahead of them, and they follow because they know his voice. - John 10:11 – I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep, unlike a hired worker who runs. - John 10:27-28 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Jesus says his sheep hear his voice and follow him, and that no one can snatch them out of his hand. - John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Answering Thomas, who asked how to know the way, Jesus says he himself is the way, the truth and the life. - John 14:18 – I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
On the night before his death, Jesus promises his anxious disciples that he will not leave them as orphans. - John 8:12 – Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus declares himself the light of the world and says that whoever follows him will not walk in darkness. - John 15:16 – Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Jesus reminds his disciples that he chose them and appointed them to go and bear lasting fruit. - Acts 16:6-9 – Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
Paul's team is blocked from several regions, then Paul has a night vision of a man calling for help in Macedonia. - Acts 17:26-27 – And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Paul tells Athenians that God set the times and places of nations so people might search for him and find him. - Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Paul writes to believers in Rome that God works all things toward good for those who love him and are called. - Romans 8:38-39 – For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul closes a chapter on suffering by listing every force he can imagine and says none can separate believers from God's love. - Romans 12:2 – And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Paul urges Roman believers to be reshaped by renewed thinking, so that they can discern what God's will is. - Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Paul says believers are God's handiwork, created in Christ for good works that God prepared in advance for them to do. - Ephesians 1:11 – In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Paul writes that believers were chosen according to the purpose of a God who works everything by his own plan. - Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Paul tells the Philippians he is confident that the God who began a good work in them will see it finished. - Philippians 4:6-7 – Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Writing from prison, Paul says to bring worries to God in prayer with thanks, and God's peace will guard minds. - Colossians 1:13 – Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Paul says God has rescued believers from the domain of darkness and moved them into the kingdom of his Son. - 1 Peter 2:25 – For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Peter, quoting the sheep imagery of Isaiah, says his readers once strayed but have now returned to the shepherd of their souls. - 1 Peter 2:9-10 – But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Peter tells scattered Christians that they were once not a people but are now God's people, called out of darkness. - James 1:5 – If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James says that anyone lacking wisdom should ask God, who gives generously and without scolding the one who asks. - James 4:13-15 – Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
James warns merchants who plan years ahead that life is a mist, and they should add, if the Lord wills. - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Paul admits he and his team are pressed, perplexed and struck down, yet not crushed, in despair or abandoned. - 2 Corinthians 5:7 – (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Paul gives a short principle for hard seasons: the Christian life is lived by trusting God rather than by sight. - Hebrews 11:8 – By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Abraham obeyed God's call to go to a place he would inherit later, even though he did not know where he was going. - Psalm 40:1-2 – I waited patiently for the LORD ; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
David says he waited patiently for the LORD, who lifted him out of a pit and set his feet on a rock.
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