For almost 35 years now, I have been a voracious collector of “quotable quotes,” “nuggets of wisdom,” and “pithy sayings.” I think if I were to count them and put them all together, there would be well over 15,000.

Great quotes boil a whole bunch of truth down into a simple and memorable sentence or two. For the next few weeks, I want to share with you some of the best quotes that I have come across in the past few months.

I pray that these “nuggets” would be an encouragement to your heart and soul, and a stimulus to your mind. Before I go any further, let me add, nothing comes close to or is more important than the actual words of Scripture! Our Bibles should be our steady daily diet. But other books, written by great men and women of God, can help us to grasp and understand many of the riches found throughout the pages of the Bible.

Here are a few quotes on troubles, trials and trusting God…

“Do not be anxious about what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” (St. Francis de Sales)

“God is in the business of turning rough coals into diamonds through pressure. When we suffer, it is a God-given opportunity to become more like the One who suffered most.” (Randy Alcorn)

“Christ followers contract malaria, bury children, and battle addictions, and as a result, face fears. It’s not the absence of storms that sets us apart. It’s whom we discover in the storm: an unstirred Christ.” (Max Lucado from his new book Fearless)

“Today’s impossibility is tomorrow’s miracle!”

“Let the size of your God determine the size of your goal!”

“May the omnipotence of God be the measure of our expectation!”

“O God, let me make a difference for You that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.” (from the Journal of David Brainerd – American Missionary to the Native Americans – 1718-1747)

“There is nothing which shows our ignorance so much as our impatience under trouble. We forget that every cross is a message from God, and intended to do us good in the end. Trials are intended to make us think—to wean us from the world—to send us to the Bible—to drive us to our knees.” (J. C. Ryle)