Maureen's Favorite Scriptures

When you read the Bible, some verses seem to have a special meaning, as if God was speaking right to you or your situation. I thought it would be fun to share some scriptures that have encouraged me or helped me to understand God's perspective, and to tell you something of what they mean to me.

These scriptures come to mind in different situations, but of course, it's always a challenge to remember how to find them. So we've also provided a handy search box in case you want to hunt up a favorite of your own.

You're welcome to email me with your favorites, too, particularly if there's a story that goes along with them.

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So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them. Nehemiah 8:12

There's nothing like the joy of discovery, of figuring out how things work. I can relate to these people who celebrated not just because God spoke to them, but they understood what He had said.

When it finally sunk into my head that God was for me — actually rooting for me — my life changed. And so did my horse training, because I realized that I have to be not just the leader for my horse, but the cheerleader, too.

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An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. Proverbs 12:25

I thought about being weighed down and all that having a heavy heart might imply.

Then I thought about how much my horse's soft nicker lifts my spirits, and I recognized that a few kind words can make a big difference.

I decided to train myself to always have something kind to say so I can lighten someone's load, if even just momentarily.

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As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Proverbs 25:11

This one always makes me laugh because God used it in an amazing way for me back in 1979. Some friends knew that I was on a faith journey, and had given me a Bible. I was marginally interested, so I started reading at Proverbs, thinking it would be a little like the Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain. I was enjoying the little blurbs of common sense, when this verse seemed to jump off the page. I was dumbstruck. I remember calling my friend, Lee, and reading it to her on the phone saying, “These old boys knew about dogs!”

Now here's the tie-in. At that time, Lee and I were both Animal Health Technicians at a big veterinary hospital. We had occasion to see plenty of vomit, and invariably, the sick dog returned to it. I'll spare you the details, but the gist of it is that you'd better be quick cleaning it up.

It was the first time I realized that God can talk to me through the Bible — reaching out in a way that told me a truth that shaped my thinking.

When people talk about finding faith, I can tell them firsthand that God often uses a small dumb thing — a dog, a horse, or even a butterfly — to gently give us an “A-ha! moment.” And I can't help but think that He has fun doing it.