If what we read from the Scriptures is an indicator of how we are feeling about life, YouVersion's most read Bible verse could be a sign of the times.
In a year full of climate protests, another year of antagonism towards Trump in the US, and Britain still feeling painfully divided over Brexit, just to name a few sources of tension, it may not be a huge surprise to learn that people have been searching out a reassuring Bible verse to give them some hope.
YouVersion, the popular Bible app, has just announced that the Bible verse that had the most engagement in 2019 was Philippians 4:6: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."
"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 YouVersion founder Bobby Gruenewald.
"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."
It's been a good year for YouVersion, which has recorded more people than ever engaging with the Bible through the platform.
Overall, it reports that users were reading and listening to the Bible 30 per cent more this year than last, with a total of 5.6 billion chapters listened to and 35.6 billion chapters read in 2019.
There has also been a high level of engagement with its daily reading plans, which offer users a simple devotional together with Scripture quotes.
This year, users completed a record-breaking 1.1 billion days in their daily Bible Plans, and shared more than 478 million verses.
YouVersion users are growing in number too, with the Bible app being installed 50 million times this year to reach a total of 400 million downloads worldwide.
Most of this year's new installations were from outside the US, with Poland being one of the fastest growing countries, with a 75% increase.
Bible engagement through the app also grew across south-east Asia, with Cambodia experiencing a 36% increase and Vietnam 37%. In India, YouVersion engagement rose 51% on 2018 figures.
"What we are seeing in global engagement is exciting to us because with every verse highlighted, Plan day completed, or audio chapter listened to, that's a person who is being transformed by knowing God more intimately through spending time in the Bible," said Gruenewald.
"We're humbled by the opportunity to see lives changed in every country around the world."
He continued: "Every year, when we dig into these numbers, we're overwhelmed by how God is using this app to deliver His message of hope and love to a hurting world.
"We also can't help but recognize how much more work there is to be done together as the global Church to reach every nation."
