I once heard a theology professor describe a simple way to uncover God’s presence in our lives. It’s called the “God Hunt,” and the process is simple. At the end of each week, you review what has taken place, asking yourself two questions: “Where did I see God?” and “Where did I miss what God was doing?” “It’s like a divine Where’s Waldo,” he explained.
Now that we have entered a new year, a similar type of activity may be beneficial to us. As we look back over 2022, we can ask ourselves where we saw the imprint of God’s activity. Where was God active? What was God speaking to us during this past year?
As an aid to this God hunt, we can look to the most popular Bible verses of 2022. These verses searched out and shared more than any others testify to the whispers of God in our souls.
Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, rising interest rates, rampant job loss, and tragedies all around, these popular verses illustrate that God’s voice was a constant reality for us.
Like God speaking to God’s people amid the exodus or exile, God has spoken to us in our time of difficulty.
So, what were the most popular, searched-out, and shared verses of 2022?
YouVersion’s Verse of 2022
Each year, YouVersion — the popular mobile app — announces the most searched-out verse amongst its 545 million users.
According to their statistics, 2022 was a year in which people turned to the prophets. According to YouVersion, the most searched and shared verse was Isaiah 41:10, which reads:
“So do not fear, for I the Lord am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”
It doesn’t take an expert in biblical theology to recognize what God was saying to us through this verse. For many, 2022 felt like an exile. The start of the year opened with lockdown restrictions in many parts of the world.
Covid numbers seemed continually on the rise without any indication that they would slow down. To make matters worse, as we struggled amid the global pandemic, we watched as war erupted in the Ukraine.
2022 seemed to face a daunting onslaught of difficulty and struggle. Many felt overwhelmed by discouragement, hopelessness, and fear.
Given all that we were facing in the world, it is no wonder that God would point us to a verse taken from the heart of the exile. The exile was a time of turmoil and upheaval for the people of Israel, a time when Israel was plagued with anxiety and fear.
Spiritually, the people of God felt abandoned by their Lord and wondered why such tragedies had befallen them. And yet, amid all of this, the Book of Isaiah is filled with some of the most hopeful and encouraging promises in all of Scripture.
To a people who were filled with fear, God calls them to not be afraid; to the people dismayed by the hard events of life, God calls them to have confidence in his will; to the people who felt ill-equipped to face the exile, God calls them to trust in His strength and provision.
God reminds the people of his ever-present love. This divine love, God explains, has sustained them during the exile and will, eventually, lead them into restoration and renewal. God speaks words of comfort, hope, and new life to the people of faith.
Was this not God’s word for us all this past year? Amid all we have faced, God spoke into our hearts a message of unrelenting hope.
Instead of miring ourselves in dismay, we are called to be devoted to the one who will ultimately uphold us. We are to look to the Lord above all things and trust that God will pave the way for our renewal.
How have you experienced this renewal in your life? Where did you see God act faithfully for you during 2022? Where did God’s presence triumph over fear and increase your faith?
World Vision’s Verse of 2022
The one hiccup with YouVersion’s verse of the year is that it is only based on the usage of their own app. YouVersion doesn’t track internet searches.
World Vision, however, has done just that. In fact, World vision even breaks down the results by country. According to their research, the most googled verse of 2022 was John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that all who believe in him might not perish but have eternal life.”
It can be easy to dismiss this result as merely an echo of this verse’s continuous popularity. For years John 3:16 has been the most recognizable verse in all of Scripture; we see it on billboards and social media posts; people hoist signs declaring its truth at football games and soccer matches.
But what if the pull to this proclamation over the past year spoke to something deeper? What if Christ was beckoning us to himself?
When we set this verse against the backdrop of 2022, we hear an invitation to new life. Despite the various natural disasters of 2022, God has affirmed God’s love for the world he created and points to Jesus Christ as the ultimate sign of that love.
Of course, all who know John 3:16 know that the verse is part of a response to Nicodemus, who asks Jesus how one might be “born anew” (John 3:4).
In response, Jesus points to the necessity of living in an abiding relationship with him. The verse, therefore, is an invitation to turn to Jesus and receive the gift of eternal life.
As has occurred throughout all of history, God has stepped into our world amid all the struggles and turmoil we face and has issued a graceful invitation to come in faith. John 3:16 invites us to find our true satisfaction in Jesus alone.
Could we make 2023 a year in which we passionately renew our allegiance to Jesus? How might we live in the reality of the gospel this next year?
What Was Your Popular Verse?
Isaiah 41:10 and John 3:16 have been heralded as the most popular verses of 2022. They are the verses most downloaded and shared throughout the world.
Of course, this does not mean that these verses are your most popular verse for 2022. Perhaps there is a different verse that spoke to you throughout this past year.
Returning to the notion of a “God Hunt,” you may wish to spend some time praying about the verses that you felt inwardly drawn to last year.
Was there a verse that was constantly on your heart or mind, one that you returned to again and again? If you had to sum up God’s work in your life through the appeal of one Bible verse, which verse would you point to?
Declaring the most popular verse of 2022 is predicated on one simple truth: God speaks to us. God uses Scripture to draw us to a deeper place of faith. The very verses that we feel inwardly drawn to testify to Christ’s constant voice in our ears.
The fact is, we live our lives with Jesus, surrounded by his voice. “My sheep know me, and they follow me,” Jesus says (John 10:27-28). We never face the things of life alone.
So, pay attention to the scriptures that you feel drawn to; they just may unlock an important truth for your life.
For further reading:
Bible Verses about New Beginnings
What Is the Significance of ‘For God So Loved the World’ in John 3:16?
What Does it Mean ‘Fear Not for I Am with You’?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/TARIK KIZILKAYA
