YouVersion is a bible app that has been called "the world's most popular Bible program for mobile phones". It was started by a church from Oklahoma in 2008 and soon went regional, national, and then world-wide, and now features 1450 Bible versions in over 1000 languages.
There was an article recently in Christianity Today about the most popular Bible verse in the world according to YouVersion.
The verse is Romans 8:28 - "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose.”
That's not too surprising. It's a very well known and important verse. Romans chapter 8 is one of the most powerful and profound chapters in the whole Bible.
The surprising thing to me is some of the other favorite Bible verses from around the world. Romans 8:28 was the overall favorite Bible verse in 2016, but when you look at individual nations and their favorite verses, it becomes very interesting indeed.
For example, the nations of Israel and Afghanistan had the very same favorite Bible verse - along with France, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Cyprus. What's the Bible verse? Zechariah 14:9 - “The Lord will be king over the whole earth; on that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”
I don't have to tell you that Zechariah 14:9 doesn’t typically show up on the lists of favorite Bible verses. But last year, these words from the Old Testament prophet Zechariah showed up as the top verse on YouVersion with the most highlights, bookmarks, and shares in two countries with little else in common - Israel and Afghanistan.
What does this mean? It means that even though Israel and Afghanistan are very different countries with very distinct cultures, their people are basically the same. They have the same wants, needs, hopes, dreams, and desires. And the people who are reading the Bible in both of these nations are longing for God to return as King, to come down from heaven to earth, to rule and reign with justice and righteousness, to come down and bring everything back to the way it was supposed to be.
How about you? What's your favorite Bible verse? If you don't have one yet, Zechariah 14:9 might be a good place to start.
“The Lord will be king over the whole earth; on that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”
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