Every year the Bible app YouVersion releases the verse that people have engaged with most. It’s a fascinating window into what people are reaching for in a world of brokenness.
If you’re not familiar with YouVersion—it’s the most downloaded Bible app in the world. It has the Bible in 2390 different languages—many with audio versions as well. One of the best things is that it is free—and ad-free which is pretty unusual for a free app.
The creator of the app, Bobby Gruenewald, refuses to monetise it. That’s rather astounding, given that the app recently passed a billion downloads and could be a cash cow worth billions if they chose to. But as Gruenewald said in a recent interview: “Our value isn’t measured in dollars. Rather, it’s measured in people finding hope in Scripture.” And on their website: “Every YouVersion product is completely free… because we never want money to get in the way of people experiencing the power of God’s Word.”
Amen. I get that and like it.
So what was 2025’s most-engaged-with verse? YouVersion identified Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
It’s a great verse—I’ve read it a few times with people over the years, and it’s one I come back to. It speaks into the deep trials of life: the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, the hopelessness of a bad prognosis, the grief of loss, and all the anxieties of 21st century living. It speaks to remind us that we are not alone in our darkest moments—that there is an all-powerful and all-caring God who will enable us to cope with whatever comes.
Yet the verse has a name on the envelope. It’s not like a generic mail drop—it is personalised. If we read the surrounding verses, we see it was originally addressed to God’s people in exile. The assurance is for them—however battered they feel—that he will not abandon them.
It is a glorious verse, but it is not a fortune cookie promise for whoever stumbles upon it. It is a crafted, personalised promise from God to his people. And it still holds true today for all who belong to him, but it offers no comfort to those who do not. Yet here is the beauty—any of us may come to belong to him, so the promise may become ours as well.
How do we become one of his people? Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me.” When we turn from ourselves—both from our rebellion and from trusting in our own moral goodness—and entrust ourselves to Christ, God writes your name on the envelope of this promise and mails it to you. Then Isaiah’s words land with all their intended comfort: “Do not fear, for I am with you.”
Milford RPC 
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