Scripture Verse for Life

Do you have a life verse? A special scripture that sustains you? I have encountered many fellow believers that have such a verse, and often they come with encouraging encounters with God.

I first gave my heart to the Lord as a child. My family did not attend church regularly, but I had some opportunities to be involved in faith-based gatherings within my community. Like many young adults, I eventually drifted away from the church and sought my place in the world.

I was in my 20’s when a friend invited me to a Christian concert. I recommitted my life to the Lord and began seeking Him. I was experiencing many challenges during that time. I needed the Lord so desperately. I spent hours reading my bible and searching for direction.

Scripture seemed to jump off the page. Not those about His love for me like I vaguely recall from childhood Sunday school classes, but ones of warfare. How the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking those he can destroy in 1 Peter 5, and how our battle is not against flesh in Ephesians 6.

It was around this time I began searching for my birth parents. I was adopted and desired to know more. My parents had always told me I was adopted. They could not have children and always said they “chose” me. They assumed my birth mother was a teenager that could not keep me. I purposed in my mind that it was not a matter of not being wanted, but that she was not able to care for me.

My adoption records were closed, so I did not find much information. I did learn the age of my parents at the time of my birth. My mother was 26 and my father was 28. I was younger than that at the time, and a mother myself.

I was devastated. I could not understand how my adult parents gave me away. The voice of the enemy came fast and loud. “You are an accident. You are a mistake. You are not loved.” Not a stranger to rejection and the feeling of not fitting in, accusations ran through my mind as if on a continuous loop.

For days, maybe weeks, I heard the rants of the accuser. Scripture had stopped jumping off the pages of my bible. Prayer seemed dry and forced. Finally, in a moment of exhaustion, I sat quietly. I remembered the warnings of the devil’s schemes. I wielded the weapons of spiritual warfare and quieted the enemy of my soul. That is when I heard a whisper, “Precious.”

The God of the universe spoke to me. He called me Precious. Me!?! I wanted to hide in shame. A sinner. I knew my offenses. I knew the filth that separated me from a perfect God. I had not yet fully grasped how I had been made clean through the blood of Christ.

The Lord called to me three times, “Precious.” When I could finally look up, scripture jumped from my open bible.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13NIV

I am not an accident, a mistake, or unloved. For over three decades I have rejoiced in this scripture. I am a child of God. What is your life verse? Please share a scripture you turn to for encouragement.