Sarah Street, Cardiff

As I started to think about what verses I would choose to take with me to a desert island, two things struck me. The first is how privileged we are to have God’s word, the bible, so readily available to us. We have copies in our homes and most of us can access it any time on our phones. The second thing that hit me was how often I neglect reading God’s word; how much time I spend surfing the net, looking at Facebook or organising my kids, my house etc. If I believe the bible is God’s word and that He speaks to me through it, surely I should be spending as much time as possible reading it. We need to make it a priority over everything else.

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

This verse is such a great reminder of what God has done for us. We were lost in the darkness of our sins and he has brought us into his kingdom, through his son, Jesus Christ. It is only because of his sacrifice on the cross that we can know this amazing redemption and true forgiveness.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice. Isaiah 42:3

The Christian life is not an easy one and there are often times when I feel far from God. I know at times of sorrow or trial I can doubt God’s promises. Sometimes, when you look too much at the world around and take your eyes off Jesus, your faith falters. Yet, this verse always encourages me that God does not give up on me. He will not quench the flame. Even if my faith feels weak and feeble, God wants it to continue, and not just to continue, but to burn brightly. Our standing before God does not depend on how we feel. Even those times when I have felt circumstances overwhelm me, and God seems so distant, I know God is always there for me. It is about what he has done for me at the cross. However small my faith is, it is still faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed can do great things. As the hymn says, “When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace.”

Jesus wept. John 11:35

The context for this verse is that Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, has died and Jesus is full of grief. The bible tells us that Jesus wept, his feelings of sorrow were so overpowering that he was moved to shed tears. Back in 2005, I gave birth to a still born little girl and I was devastated. The pain of sorrow was something I had never properly understood up until then. It was all consuming, heart wrenching and yet I had a Saviour who understood exactly how I was feeling. Knowing that Jesus, the God-man had not just shed a single tear in sympathy but he had actually wept with unbearable grief has been such a help to me. Jesus knows what it is like to sorrow, he knows how it feels to experience that deep pain of loss. A verse with only two words and yet one that has given me so much comfort. “Days of darkness still come over me, Sorrows paths I often tread, Yet the Saviour still is with me, By his hand I’m safely led.”

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. Jeremiah 29:11

As humans, we like to think we are in control of our lives and then something happens that we can’t control or change and God reminds us once again that he is the one who is holding our lives in his hands. He is in control and he always does what’s best for us. Back in 2002, I gave birth to twin boys and, twelve hours after they were born, I was told that the older twin had Down’s syndrome. This was such a shock. This wasn’t how I’d planned it to be. This wasn’t the child I had ordered. My life was not supposed to have gone this way! And yet, in the midst of the shock and confusion, God was there with me, giving strength and grace for each day. I didn’t understand why this was happening and yet God knew, and I could trust him. Sixteen years on what an amazing blessing Jack has been! God knows the plans he has for us and they are definitely for our best.

Who would you like to find on the island for company?

If I had to choose someone to take to the island with me then it would have to be my Nana. She was a real character, full of fun. We were very close and looking back she showed me the reality of having a living relationship with Jesus. Of course, she had her weaknesses which she would have readily admitted but she loved Jesus and this was evident in the way she lived. She was always visiting people, making them cakes or dropping off food parcels, popping in on non-Christian neighbours in crisis and offering to pray with them and always opening her home to give hospitality. She had an amazing memory for bible verses and hymns and loved playing the piano and praising God; when she sang you could see she believed every word. She had a little card in her bible with verses on she had picked from the psalms that she would pray each morning, asking God to keep a watch over her tongue and also to show his grace to her that day.

I remember one day she told me she had felt a sudden need to pray for my cousin in the middle of the day and she found out hours later that my cousin had been involved in a bad car accident and had walked away unharmed. That has always stayed with me. Her relationship with Jesus was so real and was such an encouragement to me, Nana would be a fantastic companion on a desert island.

Which song would you take to the island?

God has used so many hymns and songs to encourage me during my Christian life, so it is so hard to choose just one. However, ‘In Christ Alone’ is probably one of my favourites. It contains so many helpful truths and promises. In every situation I have faced, Jesus has been my solid ground, my comforter, my all in all. I pray that, by God’s grace, I will continue to know the reality of this amazing hope that we have in Jesus Christ.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Keith Getty and Stuart Townend