Encouraging Bible Verses for Hard Days (and How to Share Them)

When you’re worn out

• Isaiah 40:31. “but those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.” Read it with verse 29, where God “gives power to the weak” and strength to those who have none.
• Galatians 6:9. “Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:16. “Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward person is decaying, yet our inward person is renewed day by day.”

When you’re grieving

• Psalm 34:18. “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.”
• Psalm 147:3. “He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.”
• Psalm 30:5. “Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

These verses don’t rush grief. Psalm 30 was written by someone who had been close to death, and it names the night before it names the morning.

When you feel alone

• Deuteronomy 31:8. “The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.” Moses said this to Joshua and the people before they went on without him.
• Romans 8:38–39. “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Psalm 27:10. “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”

When you’re waiting

• Psalm 27:14. “Wait for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the LORD.”
• Lamentations 3:25–26. “The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
• Romans 8:28. “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Paul writes it in a chapter about suffering, so it doesn’t mean everything that happens is good. It means God is still at work in all of it.

When you need hope

• Lamentations 3:22–23. “It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”
• Romans 15:13. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
• Zephaniah 3:17. “The LORD, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”
• Psalm 73:26. “My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Jeremiah 29:11 is another favorite. It was first written to exiles in Babylon who faced a seventy-year wait, and that setting makes it richer; see how to read a Bible verse in context.

How to share a Bible verse without sounding preachy

A verse can be a kind gift, if it comes without pressure:

1. Send the verse with one honest line, such as “I read this today and thought of you.”
2. Skip the explanation. You don’t need to tell them how it applies to their situation.
3. Don’t use a verse to fix grief. Psalm 34:18 is a better gift than a quick answer.
4. Offer something practical too: a meal, a walk, a time to talk.
5. Ask before you pray with someone, and check in again a few days later.

Keep the verses that help you

When a verse carries you through a hard day, save it where you can find it again. Our guide to saving and memorizing Bible verses shows a simple way to keep them close, and our list of Bible verses for anxiety helps on worried days. For harder seasons, our list of Bible verses about strength is grouped by what you’re facing.

Common questions