Isaiah 52:7, 11-12

7How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of those who bring good news,

who proclaim peace,

who bring good tidings,

who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,

“Your God reigns!”

11Depart, depart, go out from there!

Touch no unclean thing!

Come out from it and be pure,

you who carry the vessels of the Lord.

12But you will not leave in haste

or go in flight;

for the Lord will go before you,

the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Isaiah 53:10-12

10Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the Lord makes^c his life a guilt offering,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

11After the suffering of his soul,

he will see the light [of life]^d and be satisfied^e;

by his knowledge^f my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities.

12Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^g

and he will divide the spoils with the strong,^h

because he poured out his life unto death,

and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 54

1Save me, O God, by your name;

vindicate me by your might.

2Hear my prayer, O God;

listen to the words of my mouth.

3Strangers are attacking me;

ruthless men seek my life—

men without regard for God.       Selah

4Surely God is my help;

the Lord is the one who sustains me.

5Let evil recoil on those who slander me;

in your faithfulness destroy them.

6I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;

I will praise your name, O Lord,

for it is good.

7For he has delivered me from all my troubles,

and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

Isaiah 40:1-5

Comfort for God’s People

1Comfort, comfort my people,

says your God.

2Speak 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.

3A voice of one calling:

“In the desert prepare

the way for the Lord^a;

make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.^b

4Every valley shall be raised up,

every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

the rugged places a plain.

5And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

and all mankind together will see it.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Matthew 21:18-21

18Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Isaiah 1:18-20

18“Come now, let us reason together,”

says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be like wool.

19If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the best from the land;

20but if you resist and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Psalm 55:16-18, 22

16But I call to God,

and the Lord saves me.

17Evening, morning and noon

I cry out in distress,

and he hears my voice.

18He ransoms me unharmed

from the battle waged against me,

even though many oppose me. 

22Cast your cares on the Lord

and he will sustain you;

he will never let the righteous fall.

Proverbs 30:5-6

5“Every word of God is flawless;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6Do not add to his words,

or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Proverbs 3:5-8

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.

Psalm 107:1

1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

Isaiah 35:3-4

3Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

4say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

he will come to save you.”

Isaiah 45:2-3

2I will go before you

and will level the mountains^a;

I will break down gates of bronze

and cut through bars of iron.

3I will give you the treasures of darkness,

riches stored in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the Lord,

the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Hebrews 11:17-19

17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring^b will be reckoned.”^c 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

15In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:

a righteous man perishing in his righteousness,

and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.

16Do not be overrighteous,

neither be overwise—

why destroy yourself?

17Do not be overwicked,

and do not be a fool—

why die before your time?

18It is good to grasp the one

and not let go of the other.

The man who fears God will avoid all [extremes].

Psalm 1:1-3

1Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 91

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^a

2I will say^b of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you make the Most High your dwelling—

even the Lord, who is my refuge—

10then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 86:1-7

1Hear, O Lord, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

2Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.

You are my God; save your servant

who trusts in you.

3Have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I call to you all day long.

4Bring joy to your servant,

for to you, O Lord,

I lift up my soul.

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.

Hebrews 8:7-12

7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8But God found fault with the people and said^b:

“The time is coming, declares the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

9It will not be like the covenant

I made with their forefathers

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,

and I turned away from them,

declares the Lord.

10This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel

after that time, declares the Lord.

I will put my laws in their minds

and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

11No longer will a man teach his neighbor,

or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

12For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more.”

Isaiah 43:25

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

Isaiah 26:3-4

3You will keep in perfect peace

him whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in you.

4Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.

Hebrews 4:16

16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Isaiah 54:1, 4-5, 14-17

1“Sing, O barren woman,

you who never bore a child;

burst into song, shout for joy,

you who were never in labor;

because more are the children of the desolate woman

than of her who has a husband,”

says the Lord.

4“Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame.

Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.

You will forget the shame of your youth

and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

5For your Maker is your husband—

the Lord Almighty is his name—

the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;

he is called the God of all the earth.

14In righteousness you will be established:

Tyranny will be far from you;

you will have nothing to fear.

Terror will be far removed;

it will not come near you.

15If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;

whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

16“See, it is I who created the blacksmith

who fans the coals into flame

and forges a weapon fit for its work.

And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc;

17no weapon forged against you will prevail,

and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

and this is their vindication from me,”

declares the Lord

Isaiah 49:8-9; 50:1-2; 51:12-16

8This is what the Lord says:

“In the time of my favor I will answer you,

and in the day of salvation I will help you;

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people,

to restore the land

and to reassign its desolate inheritances,

9to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’

and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’

1This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce

with which I sent her away?

Or to which of my creditors

did I sell you?

Because of your sins you were sold;

because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.

2When I came, why was there no one?

When I called, why was there no one to answer?

Was my arm too short to ransom you?

Do I lack the strength to rescue you?

By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea,

I turn rivers into a desert;

their fish rot for lack of water

and die of thirst.

12“I, even I, am he who comforts you.

Who are you that you fear mortal men,

the sons of men, who are but grass,

13that you forget the Lord your Maker,

who stretched out the heavens

and laid the foundations of the earth,

that you live in constant terror every day

because of the wrath of the oppressor,

who is bent on destruction?

For where is the wrath of the oppressor?

14The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;

they will not die in their dungeon,

nor will they lack bread.

15For I am the Lord your God,

who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—

the Lord Almighty is his name.

16I have put my words in your mouth

and covered you with the shadow of my hand—

I who set the heavens in place,

who laid the foundations of the earth,

and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”

Psalm 30:8-12

8To you, O Lord, I called;

to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9“What gain is there in my destruction,^d

in my going down into the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me;

O Lord, be my help.”

11You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalm 30:4-5, 11-12

4Sing to the Lord, you saints of his;

praise his holy name.

5For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may remain for a night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning. 

11You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalm 117

1Praise the Lord, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

2For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord.

Matthew 21:21

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

1 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Revenlation 21:1-4

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Psalm 43

1Vindicate me, O God,

and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

2You are God my stronghold.

Why have you rejected me?

Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?

3Send forth your light and your truth,

let them guide me;

let them bring me to your holy mountain,

to the place where you dwell.

4Then will I go to the altar of God,

to God, my joy and my delight.

I will praise you with the harp,

O God, my God.

5Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

Psalm 9:10

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Romans 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Psalm 18:1-3

1I love you, O Lord, my strength.

2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn^a of my salvation, my stronghold.

3I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 78:38-39

38Yet he was merciful;

he forgave their iniquities

and did not destroy them.

Time after time he restrained his anger

and did not stir up his full wrath.

39He remembered that they were but flesh,

a passing breeze that does not return.

Isaiah 43:25

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

Song of Solomon 4:7

All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.

Philippians 4:6-8

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 3:12-16

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Psalm 103:1-5, 8-13

1Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

3who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

8The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;