Category: Monday Sparks

Bible Verses for When You Feel Content

Writing Christian fiction

As we wrap up this month’s theme of Christian fiction, my final Monday Sparks are bible verses for when you feel content. I think joy and content are two sides of the same feeling. To me, joy is the excited, cartwheel-turning, I-have-to-tell-everybody-about-it thrill while content is quiet satisfaction. I’ve experienced both emotions about the same event, person or situation. Usually, the joy comes verse, followed by the contentment. Here are verses that seem to demonstrate contentment.

Psalm 16:5-6

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I love this verse. It reminds be to appreciate all kinds of blessings.

Habakkuk 3:17

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Hebrew 13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

What verses do you know that show contentment?

Here are more posts on writing Christian fiction.

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Bible Verses for When You Feel Joyful

Writing inspiration for the Bible

After highlighting verses for the darker side of human experiences, this week I’m focusing on Bible verses for when you feel joyful. I love the verses in which the writer personifies nature to describe joy.

Isaiah 55:12

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you.

Isaiah 61:10

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.

Psalm 114:6-7

Why, mountains, do you leap like rams, you hills, like lambs? Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Israel.

Zephaniah 3:17

He (God) will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Luke 15:3-6

Then Jesus told them his parable: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”

Psalms 144-150

These seven Psalms may be the most joyful section of the Bible. I feel like turning cartwheels after reading them. Here’s one of my favorite verses, Psalm 149:4

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

What Bible verses do you read when you feel joyful?

Here is more writing inspiration from the Bible.

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Lamenting in the Bible

Bible Verses fo Lament

At least in America, I think most Christians think it’s inappropriate to lament, maybe even sinful. Our trust in God is supposed to make us joyful. But there are passages of lamenting in the Bible. The most well-known is Jesus’ lament to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:39-46. So if Jesus can do it, His brothers and sisters can.

To understand lamenting, reading the Psalms that focus on that is helpful. Here are the opening verses of several Psalms that scholars classify as laments.

Psalm 3:1-2

Lord, how many are my foes? How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”

Psalm 5:1-2

Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

Psalm 13:1

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

Psalm 22:1

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish.

Now read how these Psalms end.

Psalm 3:8

From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

Psalm 5:12

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 13:6

I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 22:31

They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

So how do the writers of the Psalms move from anguish to joy? Well, read the Psalms I’ve highlighted and pray for guidance in how to understand them.

Here’s what I’ve learned for myself. First, I have to be honest with God about what I’m feeling. Many Christians approach God in their Sunday best, like their visiting their stern grandfather. God already knows what you’re thinking and feeling, so you can’t put a brave face on. He’s God. Not only can He take all the anguish you unload, He wants you to tell Him and to take it off you.

So I’m honest with God about my pain. No sugarcoating. I cry ugly and dump it all. When I think I’ve done all of that that is helpful, I can either recall all the good God has given me in the past. Or I can hand Him the pain, which can take a tremendous amount of will and concentration, and say, “You take care of it. I can’t.” And then I try to go about my business–make meals, go grocery shopping, write a blog post, whatever I would normally do during the day. If the pain stabs me again, I remind myself that I’ve left that with my Father. If I have to say that a hundred times in an hour, that’s fine. It can be remarkable how quickly I move out of anguish then.

What’s your opinion on lamenting?

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Bible Verses for When You Feel Overwhelmed

Writing inspiration for Christian fiction

When I first created Monday Sparks, it was with the idea of providing writing inspiration for stories and poems through photo prompts. Since my focus this month is Christian fiction, I’m turning to the Origin of all inspiration–God and His word. So for the next few Mondays, I’m highlighting Bible verse that provide inspiration to deal with a variety of feelings and situations. Since I often feel like I’m just crawling by in this life, I chose bible verses for when you feel overwhelmed for my first post. I decided to highlight some less well known ones associated with stress and feeling like you can’t cope.

Psalm 142

Verses 1 and 2 “I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my troubles.”

Verse 6 and 7: “Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”

Isaiah 43:2

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

John 16:33

“In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1 Peter 5:7

“Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

1 John 4:4

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

With any Bible verse, it’s always good to read some of the text before and after the highlighted verse so you get more context. Here are more prompts related to Christian fiction.


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Who Are Your Favorite Book Characters?

favorite book characters

Since this month’s theme at JPC Allen Writes is characters, who are your favorite book characters? For me, a character becomes a favorite when I seek out their company again and again. Here’s partial list of mine because I’m sure there are some I’ve forgotten:

Let me know in the comments who are your favorite books characters.

Here are writing prompts for characters.

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