Chapter 41:10 of the Book of Isaiah has emerged the most searched, read and bookmarked Bible verse online in 2020, YouVersion Bible App, says in its latest report.
The verse reads, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee. Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (King James Version of the Bible).
Christianity Today reports that YouVersion Bible App, a Bible gateway site, saw research increase by 80 percent in 2020, totalling about 600 million globally.
The app, in its history, recorded its highest engagement this year with 43.6 billion Bible chapters read, 7.5 billion audio chapters played and 1.4 billion Bible Plans days completed.
2020 is a year marked by uncertainty and turmoil. It has so far recorded terrible incidents, including the spread of COVID-19, which has killed over 1.5 million people out of 67,657,324 people infected worldwide.
As a result of the outbreak of the pandemic in many countries, some churches paused physical services to discourage its spread, prompting many Christians to use digital tools to reach God.
YouVersion founder, Bobby Gruenewald, said, “Through every hardship, people continue to seek God and turn to the Bible for strength, peace and hope. While 2020 is a year so many say they’d like to forget, we see it as a year to remember how God used the Bible App to help so many people who are searching for answers.”
According to Christianity Today, the searches show that “fear” became the app’s top search item in the first few months of the year, “justice” in the spring, especially in May, (and again in late August and late September) and “healing” “peace” and “love” trending throughout the year.
Also, as in the previous years, John 3:16 and Jeremiah 29:11 topped the ranking for the top verses.
In 2019, Philippian 4: 6 was the most shared, highlighted and bookmarked. It says, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (King James Version).
Chapter 1:9 of the Book of Joshua, which says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go,” was the most highlighted, shared and bookmarked in 2018.