Luke 11:9-13

9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^f a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Isaiah 7:9b

If you do not stand firm in your faith,

you will not stand at all.

Isaiah 10:24-25

24Therefore, this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“O my people who live in Zion,

do not be afraid of the Assyrians,

who beat you with a rod

and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.

25Very soon my anger against you will end

and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.”

Proverbs 3:5-12

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

8This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

and do not resent his rebuke,

12because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

as a father^b the son he delights in.

Psalm 86:5-7

5You are forgiving and good, O Lord,

abounding in love to all who call to you.

6Hear my prayer, O Lord;

listen to my cry for mercy.

7In the day of my trouble I will call to you,

for you will answer me.

Jeremiah 8:4-7

4“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When men fall down, do they not get up?

When a man turns away, does he not return?

5Why then have these people turned away?

Why does Jerusalem always turn away?

They cling to deceit;

they refuse to return.

6I have listened attentively,

but they do not say what is right.

No one repents of his wickedness,

saying, “What have I done?”

Each pursues his own course

like a horse charging into battle.

7Even the stork in the sky

knows her appointed seasons,

and the dove, the swift and the thrush

observe the time of their migration.

But my people do not know

the requirements of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:19-33

19I remember my affliction and my wandering,

the bitterness and the gall.

20I well remember them,

and my soul is downcast within me.

21Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

22Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

23They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

24I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him.”

25The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

26it is good to wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

27It is good for a man to bear the yoke

while he is young.

28Let him sit alone in silence,

for the Lord has laid it on him.

29Let him bury his face in the dust—

there may yet be hope.

30Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,

and let him be filled with disgrace.

31For men are not cast off

by the Lord forever.

32Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,

so great is his unfailing love.

33For he does not willingly bring affliction

or grief to the children of men.

Jeremiah 8:4-7

4“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘When men fall down, do they not get up?

When a man turns away, does he not return?

5Why then have these people turned away?

Why does Jerusalem always turn away?

They cling to deceit;

they refuse to return.

6I have listened attentively,

but they do not say what is right.

No one repents of his wickedness,

saying, “What have I done?”

Each pursues his own course

like a horse charging into battle.

7Even the stork in the sky

knows her appointed seasons,

and the dove, the swift and the thrush

observe the time of their migration.

But my people do not know

the requirements of the Lord.

Isaiah 8:11-17

11The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:

12“Do not call conspiracy

everything that these people call conspiracy^f;

do not fear what they fear,

and do not dread it.

13The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,

he is the one you are to fear,

he is the one you are to dread,

14and he will be a sanctuary;

but for both houses of Israel he will be

a stone that causes men to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.

And for the people of Jerusalem he will be

a trap and a snare.

15Many of them will stumble;

they will fall and be broken,

they will be snared and captured.”

16Bind up the testimony

and seal up the law among my disciples.

17I will wait for the Lord,

who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.

I will put my trust in him.

Psalm 96:10

Tell all the nations, "The LORD reigns!" The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.

Psalm 85:4-13

4Restore us again, O God our Savior,

and put away your displeasure toward us.

5Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

6Will you not revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

7Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,

and grant us your salvation.

8I will listen to what God the Lord will say;

he promises peace to his people, his saints—

but let them not return to folly.

9Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

10Love and faithfulness meet together;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

12The Lord will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest.

13Righteousness goes before him

and prepares the way for his steps.

Isaiah 43:25

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."

Jeremiah 1:5-8

"Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you:  A prophet to the nations - that's what I had in mind for you."

But I said, "Hold it, Master God! Look at me. I don't know anything. I'm only a boy!"

God told me, "Don't say, 'I'm only a boy.' I'll tell you where to go and you'll go there. I'll tell you what to say and you'll say it. Don't be afraid of a soul. I'll be right there, looking after you." God's Decree.

Psalm 73:25-28

25Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

27Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

Jeremiah 10:23-25

23I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own;

it is not for man to direct his steps.

24Correct me, Lord, but only with justice—

not in your anger,

lest you reduce me to nothing.

25Pour out your wrath on the nations

that do not acknowledge you,

on the peoples who do not call on your name.

For they have devoured Jacob;

they have devoured him completely

and destroyed his homeland.

Proverbs 19:14

House and land are handed down from parents, but a congenial spouse comes straight from God.

Proverbs 18:22

Find a good spouse, you find a good life - and even more: the favor of God!

Psalm 86:5

You are forgiving and good, O Lord,abounding in love to all who call to you.

John 13:36-38

36Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

37Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

John 14:21

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Psalm 49:16-20

16Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,

when the splendor of his house increases;

17for he will take nothing with him when he dies,

his splendor will not descend with him.

18Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—

and men praise you when you prosper—

19he will join the generation of his fathers,

who will never see the light [of life].

20A man who has riches without understanding

is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 107:43

Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.

Psalm 119:123-128

123My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,

looking for your righteous promise.

124Deal with your servant according to your love

and teach me your decrees.

125I am your servant; give me discernment

that I may understand your statutes.

126It is time for you to act, O Lord;

your law is being broken.

127Because I love your commands

more than gold, more than pure gold,

128and because I consider all your precepts right,

I hate every wrong path.

Psalm 50:14-15

14Sacrifice thank offerings to God,

fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 85:1-3

1You showed favor to your land, O Lord;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2You forgave the iniquity of your people

and covered all their sins.       Selah

3You set aside all your wrath

and turned from your fierce anger

Jeremiah 3:12-18

12Go, proclaim this message toward the north:

“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,

‘I will frown on you no longer,

for I am merciful,’ declares the Lord,

‘I will not be angry forever.

13Only acknowledge your guilt—

you have rebelled against the Lord your God,

you have scattered your favors to foreign gods

under every spreading tree,

and have not obeyed me,’”

declares the Lord.

14“Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “men will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.

Psalm 84:10-11

Better is one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

Psalm 48:11

Be glad, Zion Mountain; Dance, Judah's daughters! He does what He said He'd do!

Colossians 3:5, 15

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Luke 8:21

Jesus replied, "My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God's word and obey it."

Psalm 51:7-12

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Job 40:7-14

“Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

“Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

Do you have an arm like God’s,

and can your voice thunder like his?

Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,

and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

Unleash the fury of your wrath,

look at every proud man and bring him low,

look at every proud man and humble him,

crush the wicked where they stand.

Bury them all in the dust together;

shroud their faces in the grave.

Then I myself will admit to you

that your own right hand can save you.

Isaiah 40:1-2

Comfort, comfort my people,

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and proclaim to her

that her hard service has been completed,

that her sin has been paid for,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

double for all her sins.