WORDS for your PSYCHE - Part I

Old Testament: Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations

“I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you. I have swept away yours sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” (Isaiah 44:21-22 / NLT)

ISAIAH

“Then I heard the Lord asking, ’Whom shall I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ’Here I am. Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8 / NLT)

“Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God - the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant?” (Isaiah 40:21 / NLT)

“’To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?’ asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.” (Isaiah 40:25-26 / NLT)

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 / NLT)

“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instructions.” (Isaiah 42:1-4 / NLT)

“God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth.” (Isaiah 42:5 / NLT)

“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:8 / NLT)

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1 / NLT)

“…you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me…You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you…Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults. I - yes, I alone - will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” (Isaiah 43:22-25 / NLT)

“This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer and Creator: ’I am the Lord, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. Who was with me when I made the earth?’” (Isaiah 44:24 / NLT)

“Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering.” (Isaiah 49:13 / NLT)

“…Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16 / NLT)

“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back. In a burst of anger, I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:7-8 / NLT)

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink - even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk - it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for the food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.” (Isaiah 55:1-3 / NLT)

“’My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ’And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.’” (Isaiah 55:8-11 / NLT)

“”This is what the Lord says: ’Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you. Blessed are all those who are careful to do this.’” (Isaiah 56:1-2 / NLT)

“…this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ’Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.” (Isaiah 58:6-9 / NLT)

“Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.” (Isaiah 59:3 / NLT)

“Arise! Shine! For your light arrives! The splendor of the Lord shines on you! For, look, darkness covers the earth and deep darkness covers the nations, but the Lord shines on you; his splendor appears over you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2 / NET)

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” (Isaiah 61:1-2 / NLT)

JEREMIAH

“The Lord gave me this message: ’I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.’” (Jeremiah 1:4-5 / NLT)

“Can a leopard take away it spots?” (Jeremiah 13:23 / NLT)

“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. You will seek me, and you will find me because you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 / TEV)

“They will be my people and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.” (Jeremiah 32:38-40 / NLT)

LAMENTATIONS

“Rise during the night and cry out. Pour your hearts like water to the Lord.” (Lamentations 2:19 / NLT)

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 / NLT)

“I say to myself, ’The Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him!’” (Lamentations 3:24 / NLT)

“For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.” (Lamentations 3:31-33 / NLT)