Scripture is meaningful on its own, but it carries a unique weight when we hear the testimonies of others. A passage that might otherwise go unread or quickly passed over suddenly becomes richer. Perhaps your grandmother had a favorite chapter, or your Sunday school teacher helped you memorize a verse when you were a child.

To aid our appreciation of scripture, Marlena Graves collected the stories of some of my favorite Bible teachers in “10 Bible Passages That Help Us Persevere.” We get to hear from women like Jo Saxton, Chrystal Evans Hurst, and Jen Wilkin as they tell us what stories and books have carried them through hard and heavy moments.

As Christians, our faith is community-oriented. Sure, I’m responsible for my own relationship with Christ, but it’s the relationships I have with other believers that remind me of his goodness, especially when I’m walking through a spiritual valley. My hope is that hearing from these women reminds you of the character of God in uncertain times. We are not the first, nor the last to walk out this faith. And we’re certainly not the only ones to tell the story.