College can be some of the best years of your life. But they can also be some of the most challenging, tiring, draining and anxious years (at least that's what I can claim thus far in our life).
But amongst all the term papers, roommate drama, late night cram sessions for the biology test you are nowhere near prepared for, meeting graduation requirements and then job searching, God is there. Always.
Just because we can't always see God sitting beside us in the library when we are slaving over our laptops or on that Friday night when we are sitting in our dorm alone upset over that guy who "couldn't make it because something came up," doesn't mean He isn't there.
Below are nine verses that I cling to as a college student, and will continue to cling to as I transition into the next chapter in life.
1. 1 Peter 5:7
“Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
I know I am not alone in saying I find myself anxious. Between anticipation for grades, worry about my love life, juggling all my activities and just the typical stressors of college, I find myself anxious. But this is a command. Yes, a command from our Father to cast all our anxieties on Him. He cares enough about us to carry the burden of anxiety.
2. Psalm 37:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
It is as simple as that. Wait what? Simple? Yes. God tells us in this verse that if we delight in Him then He will give us the desires of our heart. Your desires aren’t a Starbucks Frappuccino or a cute romper from that boutique downtown. Your desires are the things you long for, things you dream about. He wants to give us those things. He wants us to be happy. If we delight in Him, He promises he will give us these desires. How cool?
3. Jeremiah 29:11
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
The verse on every other graduation card is pretty deep and comforting when you think about it. So, get this. The God of the Universe knows your future. He created the plan of your life before you were born. His plan will not harm you, but will allow you to prosper. As a college student, I know I freak out about my future. I freaked out about where I would go to college, but ya know I could not thank God enough for sending me to Catawba. I am the person I am because of experiences and people I have encountered through Catawba. So when you are freaking out about your major, your future career, your grades, your love life, your finances -- know that God is already planned it all out for you. So relax.
4. Psalm 40:17
“The Lord thinks of me.”
This one gets me every time. God thinks of me. Little me. A speck in the grand scheme of this large world. He thinks of ME. Anytime you feel alone, or as if no one cares, remember that the Creator of all things good, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the God of the universe thinks of YOU.
5. Matthew 28:20
“I am with you always.”
At some point in college, if you haven’t already, you will feel alone. Whether it is in the caf in between classes and your friends are napping so you are eating alone, or it is on a Friday night when you are so tired so you stay in and binge watch Grey’s Anatomy alone or when you are at that party in the corner pretending you are having fun but are really crying out inside “someone save me from this mess”…you are never alone. Jesus tells us in Matthew that he is with us, always. Always. Not sometimes, not on the weekdays, not just on Sunday, not at night when you say your prayers, but always.
6. Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Do you remember those late nights, or even all-nighters, when you are struggling to complete that crazy-long assignment that you procrastinated on? Yeah, those can drain all your energy. College is exhausting. Between assignments and studying, clubs, meetings and having a social life, it almost seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day. But Jesus tells us here in Matthew that if we come to Him, He will give us rest. So do that. Go to Him often, not just when you find yourself having that mental breakdown (we all know they happen at least once a semester). Go to Him now. Go to Him tomorrow. Go to Him everyday.
7. Luke 1:45
“Blessed is she who believed the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
God gives us many promises, but when I read this, I think of the promise He gives us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has prosperous plans for me. Now in Luke He says we will be blessed if we believe in these promises. So awesome.
8. Psalm 147:3
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
In college, and really anytime in life, you will find yourself with a broken heart. But this verse lets us know that God heals what is broken. His heart breaks when our heart breaks. So go to Him with with whatever is hurting you: a family issue, a death, a break-up, a friend feud, anything. He wants to heal your heart and bind your wounds.
9. John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Here Jesus straight up tells us that we will have trouble. The world sucks. We know this. Jesus knows this. But how absolutely incredible is it that He has overcome the world. In this we can have peace. I am forever thankful for this peace. When I feel like my world is crumbling in, I look to this promise and find peace in my Savior.
These are just a few of the many, many verses that I lean on during my time in college, and will continue to lean on throughout my life. I am so thankful that my God gives us these living words as something to cling onto in the midst of this crazy world. I hope these verses can touch you as much as they touch me. I encourage you to find verses that push you through. Write them down and share them with others.
