1. Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

2. Psalm 73:23–26

Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
        you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
        and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
        And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
        but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

3. Mark 10:29–30

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

4. Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

5. Lamentations 3:22–24

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
        his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
        great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
        “therefore I will hope in him.”

6. 2 Corinthians 1:3–5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

7. Psalm 25:14–18

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,
        and he makes known to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
        for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
        for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
        bring me out of my distresses.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
        and forgive all my sins.

8. 1 Peter 5:6–7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

9. Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected by men,
        a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
        he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

10. Hebrews 4:15–16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

11. Psalm 139:1–16

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
        you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
        and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
        behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
        and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
        it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
        Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
        If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
        and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
        and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
        and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
        the night is bright as the day,
        for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
        you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
        my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
        intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
        the days that were formed for me,
        when as yet there was none of them.

Ordained Servant Online, August-September 2022.