Almost every president of the United States has taken the oath of office with their right hand raised and their left hand on a Bible, and at times with the Bible open to a specific Scripture.

Vice President Mike Pence held the Reagan Family Bible opened to 2 Chronicles 7:14, as did President Reagan when he took the oath of office. That verse reads, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

In the midst of World War I in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson placed his hand on Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble…” In 1974, President Ford opened the Bible to Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

At his 1977 inauguration, Jimmy Carter chose Micah 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
In 2005, George W. Bush selected Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”

Do you have a particular verse that speaks to you?  Is there one verse that comforts or guides you?  Some people have what is called a “life verse” that they go back to again and again in many situations.
Dr. David Jeremiah, author and minister, has written that as a young man he chose for his life verse Colossians 3:23 – 24, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Recently, I read an article in Christianity Today that listed the favorite Bible verses of 88 countries. The list was compiled based on the Bible App YouVersion, reportedly installed on more than 250 million unique devices worldwide. They tracked the most highlighted, bookmarked and shared verses of the Bible.

The world’s most popular verse, overall, in 2016 was Romans 8:28, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’”  It was number one in the United States, Singapore, and Ghana.

Jeremiah 29:11 rose to the top of the list in 27 countries. Philippians 4:6-7 was the number one verse in China, Hong Kong, and the Dominican Republic. Several passages of Scripture in Zechariah made the list of top verses in 16 countries.

Want to know my life verse? It’s Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

 

-Jan White is an award-winning columnist. She can be reached at jwhite@andycable.com.