"Favorite" scriptures

I've been reflecting on this idea of committed, even sacrificial love, or loving with the will, as I alluded to in a Holy Week post. First, some more background, as these thoughts have been brewing for a while.

Most Christians have certain scripture passages to which they frequently turn, sometimes different verses for different occasions. For instance, I love praying the Psalms. Each morning I pray the 24^th (Advent/Christmas), 100^th (Easter), or 95^th (most of the rest of the year). The 121^st and (of course) 23^rd are a great encouragement in times of difficulty. And Psalm 51 is a wonderful, humble prayer for forgiveness. One of the things I love about praying the Psalms is knowing that, as a devout Jew, Jesus prayed them daily, too; he's even been quoted as praying them on the cross. Since he was sinless, I imagine him praying Ps 51 and the other penitential psalms on my behalf.

Of course, there are many passages from both the Hebrew and Greek scriptures (a.k.a. Old and New Testaments, respectively) that reveal wondrous things about our loving God. The book of the prophet Hosea, the prophecies of Isaiah, the Pentateuch; Christians believe all of the ancient scriptures were and are intended to help us recognize Christ for who He is. And of course, the Gospels contain so much wisdom and reveal so much. Because of St. Paul's writing style, some of the epistles can be a challenge, but working through them reveals great treasures. The latter part of Romans 8 was, literally, my lifeline for a time.

The treasures of scripture are so vast and deep that we likely do them an injustice trying to single out one, two, or a handful that are our "favorites," as if we'd relegate the rest to a less important place. Still, there is a specific passage that probably I most often try to apply to my life.

That's a topic that deserves its own post.