Two supportive scriptures

The following discussion board posting is in response to the prompting: Name two verses that have provided support to you through difficult times.

The first scripture that comes to mind as being revolutionary in my life is Jeremiah 17:7-8. The bible says, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV). I remember sitting with my very close sister in Christ. It was a hot summer night in Georgia and we had found a quiet place sitting in the two hammock swings out on her front porch. We were at the close of our fellowship time (our families met once a week for dinner and God) and I was in tears and shaking at the prospects of my future, for everything in life was truly topsy-turvy. My friend looked at me and said something to the effect, "Jess, I know that every time your situation looks as if it can't possibly get any worse, it does. God has not abandoned you. Whatever you thought you had, keeps getting taken away. The one thing that has not been removed from you is your faith. Your faith continues to grow. You are an oak." She told me the reference and ever since then it has resonated in my spirit.

The other scripture that comes to mind is Ephesians 2:4-7. The bible says, "But because of this great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7, NIV). My counselor gave this scripture to me. He was in the process teaching me who I was in Christ. I like to think of this as being snuggled up in Jesus' lap, relaxing in a heavenly love seat together, waiting for this blink-of-an-eye life on earth to pass and it always brings a sense of longing for the eternal.