"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself . . .

"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that'" (James 4:14–15, ESV). "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:33–34, ESV). "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased . . .

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the . . .

"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows     is God in his holy habitation" (Psalm 68:5, ESV). "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! . . .

"Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;     break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people     and will have compassion on his afflicted. But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me;     my Lord has forgotten me.' Can a woman forget her nursing child,     that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget,     yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have . . .

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles" (1 Corinthians 15:3–7, ESV). "But . . .

"You keep him in perfect peace     whose mind is stayed on you,     because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever,     for the Lord God is an everlasting rock" (Isaiah 26:3–4, ESV). "… he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper;     I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:5–6, ESV). "'Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also . . .

"You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;     you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode" (Exodus 15:13, ESV). "… I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments" (Exodus 20:5–6, ESV). "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when . . .