Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century (yea, I copied and pasted that out of Wikipedia). What's particularly intriguing is that Emerson is not listed obviously anywhere as a minister of the faith, which he was for a brief time in his life. After earning a degree at Harvard Divinity School, he became an ordained Unitarian minister of Boston's Second Church in 1829.

Yet while generally not considered a major contributor to the faith over the last two centuries, there is a deep echo of the divine in what he wrote, such as the title quote above. The "vibe" of what he writes offers a suggestive reverberation of an internal battle within himself between the goodness of man and the goodness of God and how exactly these two ideals intermarry and dance. I would suggest he was devout in his walk with God, but often wrestled in his doubt due to so much happening in the world that was cause for doubt, disappointment and disillusionment. I’m guessing you can relate. I’m certain I can.

I'm still reading and considering this tension but at any rate, I've included this quote as the title of this week's article and as the preface to a simple exercise that I'm inviting you into simply to review and reflect on walking out a faith that looks up beyond the worry you're looking around at and the sorrow you've been looking back on. Yes, you and I have a similar battle within us but we can still lean into God and his goodness while we sort that out.

To that end, here are ten Bible verses to encourage you during uncertain times in your life.

I’m not saying I’m super excited about all of these verses, all of the time. I'm just saying that while I too am often at war with myself in my doubt and what it means to be devout in that doubt (shameless plug for my book), I am committed to leaning into these promises of God nevertheless. I’ve lived long enough to know that this is the way to the best of my life for the rest of my life. The Bible is filled with over 3,000 promises (like these below). Enjoy the love story written for you!

1. “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea” (Psalm 46:1).

2. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

3. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7).

4. “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:7–8).

5. “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:31:34).

6. “The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace” (Psalm 29:11).

7. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

8. “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

9. “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall” (Psalm 55:22).

10. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2–4).

Peace and love to you all. Paul