By Aaron Earls
In 2019, Bible readers were looking for reminders not to worry and comfort from traditional places.
Both YouVersion, the world’s most popular Bible app, and Bible Gateway, the most visited Christian website, recently announced their top Bible verses for the year.
Among global YouVersion users, the 2019 verse of the year is Philippians 4:6.
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
“Our desire is to help people grow in their relationship with God by encouraging them to read the Bible and seek Him every day,” said Bobby Gruenewald, YouVersion founder.
“We’re encouraged to see so many people turning to the Bible in response to their worries, remembering what God has done in their lives, and choosing to trust in His faithfulness.”
Paul’s admonition to the Philippians was the most popular verse in countries ranging from the United States, Jamaica, and France to Kenya, the United Arab Emirates and China.
Other popular verses around the world include Matthew 6:33 (in nations like Thailand, Mexico, Spain, and Vietnam), 2 Timothy 1:7 (Honduras and Panama), Isaiah 40:31 (Puerto Rico), and Psalm 12:7 (Russia).
Among visitors to Bible Gateway in 2019, the top verse was a familiar one: John 3:16.
John’s recording of Jesus’ words to Nicodemus were previously the most popular Bible Gateway verse in 2016 and were second in 2018, behind Jeremiah 29:11.
The top 10 verses of 2019 at Bible Gateway are:
- John 3:16
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Psalm 23:4
- Philippians 4:13
- Romans 8:28
- Romans 12:2
- Psalm 23:6
- Psalm 23:5
- Psalm 23:1
- Psalm 23:3
Six of the top 11 verses are from Psalm 23.
Philippians 4:6, the top verse from YouVersion, ranks 14th at Bible Gateway.
Bible Gateway also tracks the most searched for words each year. “Love” is the most popular search term in both English and Spanish.
In English, love has consistently been the most searched for word and the top 5 has included, in some order, peace, faith, joy, and hope.
