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Scripture for pastoral care, by situation
Most pastoral visits leave time for one passage. This is the short list: the verse to open with for each situation, why, and the common choice that tends to misfire. Each links to the full page with seven verses and notes.
Hospital and illness
Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
Open with this before surgery or a hard diagnosis: five promises, and a hand. Avoid James 5:15 unless you are prepared to talk about what ‘the prayer of faith will heal’ means if it doesn’t. Full page →
He will not be afraid of evil news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in Yahweh.
For the wait between the test and the result: a heart steady before the news, not after it. Full page →
Grief and loss
Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
The first verse for fresh grief because it asks nothing of the griever. Avoid Romans 8:28 in the first weeks; it can sound like the loss was a means to an end. Full page →
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
For the person who feels their grief is a failure of faith. Full page →
Fear and anxiety
6In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Give them a practice, not a feeling: each worry as a request, with thanks. Avoid ‘God won’t give you more than you can handle,’ which isn’t in the Bible. Full page →
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”
For someone about to walk into something. Courage as a conclusion from who is with them. Full page →
Work and money
See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
For job loss: the birds are fed. Avoid Jeremiah 29:11 as a promise of a quick new job; it was written to people staying in exile seventy years. Full page →
Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”
For money fear: ‘I will in no way leave you’ sits inside a verse about the love of money, on purpose. Full page →
Family conflict and forgiveness
If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
‘As much as it is up to you.’ Honest that peace takes two, and only one of them is in the room with you. Full page →
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
For someone who needs to forgive and doesn’t want to. The standard is set by how they were forgiven. Avoid using Matthew 18:21–22 as a demand for instant reconciliation with an abuser; forgiveness and safety are different things. Full page →
Loneliness and exhaustion
28“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
For the worn out, especially the religiously worn out. The yoke is the point: a burden that fits. Full page →
7Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? 8If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there! 9If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.
For the isolated: there is nowhere the hand isn’t. Full page →
Life transitions
18“Don’t remember the former things, and don’t consider the things of old. 19Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
For starting over after failure or loss. Full page →
They will still produce fruit in old age. They will be full of sap and green,
For retirement: still bearing fruit. Better than ‘well done, good and faithful servant,’ which is about a final accounting, not a career change. Full page →
How to use this
Read the passage, then stop. The most common pastoral mistake with Scripture is explaining it. If the person wants to talk about it, they will.