One manifestation of His grace in the early days was that so often, my regular Bible reading would speak straight to my heart. For instance, I have a little devotional book entitled Daily Light for the Daily Path. On September 2, the day after TM struck, here are the verses I read:
Psalm 27: 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Isa. 40: 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
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.
Isa. 25:44 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
James 1: 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Hebrews 10: 35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
The day before my MRI, people kept asking me if I was claustrophobic. I had no idea – I had never been in a situation where I was. But I was told the MRI sometimes made people feel uncomfortable because they slide you into this close-fitting tube and you have to be very still. They said they could give me a sedative if I thought I would need it; but I would really rather avoid medicines, so I declined. That day, I read the following in the Daily Light, which blessed me especially because I had heard so much emphasis on being still in the MRI:
Ruth 3:18 Sit still, my daughter
Isaiah 7:4 Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted.
Psalm 46: 10 Be still, and know that I am God
John 11:40 Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Isaiah 30:15 In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength
Psalm 4:4 Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still
Psalm 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him
Psalm 112:7-8 7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is established
When they did take me for the MRI the next day, when they first put me in the machine, I did feel kind of panicky, but the Lord brought these verses back to mind, and as I went over and over them, it was as if they just washed over my soul and quieted and calmed me.
Stray Thoughts 
I really appreciate these verses to help. I have been having spriitual problems, I need to control my thoughts. I am a christian and ashamed of the past. I know God forgives, but when I do do a bad thoughts sin, i have a while before I can break thru to feel his presence again. pray for me
I go through the same things you are, and i just keep preying, and wonder if god is still lisening,
its like he does not ear me any more, I AM GETTING SUICIDAL,prey for me
thanks
Hi, Buck,
Suicide is never the answer. Keep praying, maybe see if you can find a pastor or Christian counselor in your area. God is doing something in your life — keep waiting on Him and spend time in His Word to see what He wants to say to you.
One of the most helpful things I have ever heard about dealing with bad thoughts is to replace them with other thoughts. When I actively start thinking of a verse, a hymn, or start reading a book, or somehow get my mind engaged elsewhere, it helps: if I just try not to think about whatever it is, it’s hard to keep my mind away.
Enjoyed the verses.
Norman Dale Bridges
HI i just wanted to tell you that GOD has just used you!!!!! GOD is an awesome GOD JESUS’ MERCY IS EVERLASTING!!!! ====JOANNE=====
have you ever heard of OCD it is OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
it actually can produce intrusive thoughts you are not trying to think because you brain is over active producing electrical currents that in turn mix with other things that you like and don’t like creating an intrusive thought or OCD . OCD is an ANXIETY DISORDER and the FEELING of unforgiveness for these thoughts or the nervousness of it is just part of the disorder it is not actually real though it does feel real ocd is a weird thing but some ways to try and get rid of it are to not let the ocd thoughts worry you because all they are just scrambled electrical impulses in your brain, also if you feel like you have to pray a prayer against the thought REPETIVLY just try to cut the prayer shorter or try to pray it only once and keep resisting until it goes away. remember GOD is bigger than anything and any problem and cares about you. YOU need to rest in his mercy . praying REPETIVE prayers might seem to relive the anxiety but you will see that the thoughts come back . so try and resist as much as you can
and trust GOD. STAY IN GODS WORD AND PRAY TO THE LORD but don’t worry about the INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS GOD DOES NOT COUNT THEM AGAINST YOU HE LOVES YOU AND WANTS TO SEE YOU IN PEACE AND SUCCEEDING ONCE JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOUR HEART HE IS THERE TO STAY NO QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. YOU HAVE MIGHTY ABILITIES IN HIM AND HE LOVES YOU WITH ALL HIS HEART WE ALL HAVE SINFULL PASTS IT SAYS IN THE BIBLE THE ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, BUT BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST WHERE SAVED. SO DONT LET THE FELLING OF UNFORGIVENESS GET YOU DOWN. YOU ARE WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE!!!!!!!AND FORGIVEN ETERNALLY AND ETERNALLY LOVED
FOR ONLY GODS GLORY
HE LOVES YOU
AND WE SERVE A MIGHTY GOD HE CAN HEAL ALL AND ANYTHING JOANNE
The net seems a strange and almost foolish place to seek solace – but your thoughts really helped me and my problems seem so selfish by comparison. But here of all places I found some comfort and release. Thank you for providing this site. God bless.
The debt is more than I can bare. Please remove this anchor on my family. Please God take the devil’s debt.
hi, im a school student and have been struggling as alot of people have taken iit open themselfs to make my life hard. iv been praying and praying and i know God has a plan for me. i just wish it would happen now. so i could be happy again. These verses showed me taht i just have to be patient.. please pray for me to fit in.
Hi Emily,
I am sorry I didn’t get back to you right away.
I know it can be a hard struggle in school sometimes. My junior high years were the hardest time for me. It was a very clique-ish school, more so than anywhere else I have ever been. But I found out years later that some of the kids I wanted to be friends with were into a lot of bad behavior which I probably would have been pulled into, as well, if I had been close to them.
A similar thing has happened with my youngest son. There is an “in crowd” even in small Christian schools, and he didn’t seem to be in it. But he did have other friends and seemed happy. And just lately I’ve found out some of those guys are having some problems and one was almost expelled. Plus, those guys are all close friends with kids from our church, but not so much with kids who go to our school but attend a different church, and my son’s good friends are all ones who go to different churches. So I am happy that he has reached out to them.
All of that to say — sometimes God keeps us from certain people for our protection. I don’t know if you’re not “fitting in” would come under that category or not. But you’re right, God does have a plan for you, even in your school years.
I hope you know Him and are depending on Him as your personal Lord and Savior. If not, or if you don’t know what I am talking about, you can find more information here.
For those who do know Him, we have the promise of His presence in every situation as well as the promise that He has a purpose in everything He allows to come into our lives, as well as the grace and guidance to live as He wants us to.
Whatever your problems are, may He give you the grace to deal with them.
I am the son of imagrants i am the first born in a family of five children the first born of the family in America. I am the owner of a small business a lumber yard. I am having a very hard time hanging on, things in the industy are very bad as they are around the world. In my evening prayers I allways ask for help for our messed up World and all the messed up people in it then I ask for guidance, wisdome, and knowledge to help me get thru. Lately I have been asking for financial help from the lord as I am slowly drowning. I do not belive this is wrong, am I right to think that?
Ken, no, it’s not wrong to pray about financial needs alongside guidance, wisdom, etc., that you mentioned. The prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples included provision for “daily bread.”
I wrote a post a while back about why prayers are sometimes unanswered, but sometimes He is waiting for just the “right moment.”
And sometimes He uses material or physical needs to get our attention about spiritual needs. You don’t say where you are spiritually, but if you are not in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, I invite you to read more about it here.
Thank you for this webiste , Its great tpo have people thinking and caring for others through the net God is always there for us. We just need to hold on to him and belive in him. Thank you God. You help all those who ask.
I love you God
Thank God for this site.my exam is bad i just cant think of the next step to take to attain this nursing career i so much desire. I’m really down in my spirit that i just keep on crying.pls pray for me. I kno God has something good for me in store. Thank for the encouragements i found here. Rhoda (Nigeria)
I dont know y but i got this verse in my mind – Be strong and courageous for your work shall be rewarded. Right now i am going through a tempest – fears, fear of failure (in particular). Though in my heart i feel i will overcome, i am scared – no terrified !!. Please pray for me to overcome my fears and get my reward !!
Dear Lord, I humble my self before please hear my cry and have mercy on me. Please let the truth come out that the child that is claimed to be pheello’s it is not in jesus name amen.
iam frustated about my life….due to my problems….please do something(help) me
Vasantha, my heart goes out to you, but of course from a distance and not knowing your situation there is nothing I can specifically do to help you except to pray for you and point you to the only One who can help, to God. He promises that those who seek Him with their whole hearts will find Him.
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I need help my huband is very controlinghe has 2 girls 23 and 30 thay live in are house thay keep saying i will give money to live here but when the times comes he.
dont get it so than he comes to me and treats be bad i helped 4 years they gave at the time i was working30 hours a day now i am on disbaily can work and only get a little money month i need help i want to leave he not even my kids thanks sandra from erie,pa
I’m so sorry — I don’t know what to tell you, Sandra, except I am praying for you. Is there a shelter you could go to?
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I have TM since 2013. It’s difficult but I am keeping faith in God.
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I know years have passed since anyone has placed their challenges on thoughts and life in general but I have been helped a lot with this page and I feel like it’s more useful now more than ever. Thank you for having shared all these thoughts, to think it has been 5 years since the last post…
Thanks so much for commenting and letting me know. I’ve thought about incorporating these sub-pages into the main transverse myelitis post, but I didn’t want to lose the comments here. I am glad now I left everything as is.