“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.” Psalm 139:16

These words have become a ‘peace in my heart’ standby and a confidence in God’s scripture when I am faced with the loss of a friend or family member or uncontrollable situations. I can tell you that was so true this past weekend as I learned that a grandson had totaled his car.

It was no small miracle to see my grandson and the picture of the car to know that God still had days left for his life. The car was split in half and the top completely removed. He actually stood up and walked away from the car with only glass, cuts and a broken jaw tooth. Apparently, an 18-wheeler swerved and pushed him towards the shoulder and as he moved to the edge the tires got in the grass and spun out. He ended up wiping out a few trees and came to a stop when the bumper wrapped around a tree trunk.

It just so happened a car behind him saw the whole situation and called 911. The witness’s name was Christian. Neither my grandson nor the witness was able to get any information on the truck because it was unmarked.

Now, you can imagine our family’s desire to be in God’s house the next day on Easter Sunday as we gratefully thanked Him for His death on the cross for the gift of salvation for our souls and we gratefully thanked Him for sparing my grandson’s life.

I went to my ‘peace in my heart’ scripture that the Lord made me aware of many years ago when my late husband Willis Hinkson was undergoing a bone marrow transplant. Each morning we would read from the book of Psalms and he would pick out one scripture for me to write on the statistics board in his room. (It was surprising to us how many doctors and nurses read the verse each morning.)

During that time, one scripture, Psalm 139:16, became a personal scripture for me to comfort myself in knowing that I had done everything I could to assist Willis as he went through cancer and that God was in charge of the date of death. It helped me to realize that God is the one in charge of life from before the beginning to the end and that no matter the circumstances it is still His charge. The day is set. When my husband died a few months later, that scripture reminded me that God had written his name in His book; the number of days set for Willis Hinkson.

“For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Psalm 37: 23-24

“look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day…” Psalm 91:1-16

Scripture verses give us the peace in our hearts and the confidence we need to make it through any circumstances that might be presented on any given day. But is this a comfort to everyone? No, many people do not know the forgiveness of sin nor the peace in their heart nor do they know where they will go when they die. So, for those of you who may be reading this article and do not know the rest and peace that Jesus offers, I have given you a few scriptures to contemplate.

“ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Everyone is born into a sinful life because of the curse of Adam and Eve but we do not have to remain in that state because Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for that sin of disobedience. This is the acceptable will of God the Heavenly Father that Jesus came to earth in the form of a baby, lived among men as an example, died a cruel death on the cross for all of our sins, and then became alive to reign in heaven on our behalf.

“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9