One Verse, One Day    

 This post is by Deb Alexander.

I mentor a young woman who is a mama to two littles. She is also a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a student. 

The last time we met, she mentioned that she had been trying to sit down with her Bible and her journal when her girls slept, but she was having a hard time concentrating in the middle of the afternoon. 

Instead of giving up, she found a different rhythm that is working for her in this full season. She told me she had started reading one Bible verse each morning, a few minutes before her early-rising girls woke up, and focusing on that one verse for the entire day. One verse, one day.

My friend knows that someday she will have time to curl up on the couch with her Bible and her pen and her journal, perhaps even with her girls next to her. But this season is not that season. Not yet. This season looks like one verse, each day. 

I started thinking last night about some verses that would be good to focus on, during one-verse-one-day seasons. Here are a few that came to mind:

“The Lord is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1) This verse reminds me that God is trustworthy, and that following Him is a wise decision.

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart.” (Proverbs 3:5) This, also, reminds me of God’s trustworthiness. 

“I will not leave you or forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) This verse brought me through an incredibly difficult season. It is a cornerstone verse in my life.

“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) And this verse - so powerful. These words remind me that Jesus relates to every single emotion that I feel.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” (Romans 8:28) This verse reminds me that even though what I am walking through might not feel good, it will be good, someday. 

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when is old he will not depart from it.” (Deuteronomy 22:6)  The promise that rests in the verse is beautiful, and I found these words to be such a comfort when we were raising our littles. And honestly, these words still comfort me now, as we watch our kids walk through their young adult years.

Words have power, friends, and His Word has the most power of all. Imagine focusing your day on one verse, all day long. Can you even imagine how different you would feel at the end of the day, after focusing on a verse like “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart”? I would imagine that your faith would grow alongside your trust in a way that is actually measurable. And - bonus! - you will have memorized a verse of Scripture! 

So next time you feel as though you are in a season that is full to overflowing, instead of feeling discouraged that your time with God looks different, simply devote your day to Him by focusing on one verse from His Word. One verse, one day.

Deb Alexander has been married to her college sweetheart for 31 years. They have two children, and have recently become grandparents to a sweet baby boy. Deb was born and raised in New England, and she and her family have called Central Illinois home for over 20 years. She is a writer and a tutor who loves birds, books, long walks on the trail near her home, and family dinners. Deb would love to connect with you on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/debalexander/.

Photo by Marcel Eberle on Unsplash