Encouragement and Bible verses for hard times
Earlier this week, my youngest woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. He ended up waking both my husband and me. I got him settled back into bed and laid down myself.
I prayed that my son would be able to get back to sleep and rest well. Then I also prayed for my husband and me the same way. Finally, I thanked God for taking care of us before saying “Amen.”
As I snuggled into the covers, listening to my dog begin to softly snore, I thought about that. In the middle of the night, in the darkness, God reminded me that He will always take care of me. And it was exactly what my heart and soul desperately needed.
God shows up when we need Him
The days prior to this night hadn’t been easy ones. Sometimes life throws a curveball your way, and it knocks you down. Throughout the previous few days, I’d been thinking how knowing God’s will for a situation doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Sometimes in the middle of our hurt and tough times we can feel so alone (even when that isn’t true). Yet, God promises that He is always with us.
As I slowly settled in to fall back asleep, the old hymn “God will Take Care of You” drifted through my mind.
Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.All you may need He will provide,
God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied,
God will take care of you.No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.God Will Take Care of You
Civilla D. Martin, 1904
I needed that reminder so very much. Maybe it was in the stillness and quietness of the night that God knew I would be better able to hear Him and feel the peace of God.
Perhaps He knew I’d lie in bed with no distractions, and He could gently remind me that He will always take care of me. Unsurprisingly, He was right on time.
Yet again, He spoke truth and encouragement into my heart while giving me a song to go with it. Music ministers to my soul so very much.
Remembering the past
One of the other lessons I’ve learned through my decades of walking with God is that He really is ever faithful in my time of need. Each time I face a new hard time or challenge, I remind myself of other times I thought I couldn’t bear.
And I remember how God has been with me every step of the way, even in ways I still don’t even understand. I have felt God’s peace through various trials.
I am thankful that even though I have stories of difficult situations, I also have stories of God’s faithfulness through them.
For example, there was the time my husband was without a job for an entire year that we somehow managed to pay our bills.
Then in all of my health struggles with chronic conditions, God continues to give me strength and encouragement. He remains faithful.
Sometimes looking back at what God has done in the past can help us as we encounter new challenges and hard times. I have to watch out when doing this, because I can sometimes get distracted and start having a pity party for myself about all the hard times I’ve had in my life. And that’s not helpful.
I have learned to stop myself when I start going down that path. It certainly isn’t going to help me like remembering God’s faithfulness and provisions will!
Amazing Bible verses about God’s promises for hard times
Listening for God and remembering what He has done in the past is helpful in getting through hard times. But I also have learned that finding inspirational quotes from the Bible about the promises of God is helpful.
We have God’s Word as a tool to help us through life. This collection of Bible verses are promises we can cling to during difficult times in life.
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Bible verses for difficult times
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
I love this reminder, because during hard times, we feel so weary and burdened. I’ve also had the song “Worn” from Tenth Avenue North running through my head lately. It goes right along with this verse. “I know that You can give me rest, so I cry out with all that I have left.”
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
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.”
I’ve shared this verse multiple times, because it is truly my all-time favorite, powerful Bible verse that applies to so many situations.
While I first fell in love with the verse for God promising to always be with me when I’m afraid, I later learned the entire verse and love all parts of it. For hard times, I especially love God’s promise to strengthen, help and uphold us.
“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
Psalms 9:9-10 (NIV)
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
God is our shelter and help when we are having a hard time. He promises that we can trust in Him and that He will never leave us. I cling to that promise!
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
I think sometimes this verse gets relegated only to graduates and young people. But it deserves a second look.
God is promising that whatever our hard times are, they aren’t part of a plan for Him to harm us. His plan is to give us hope.
And He promises to listen to us when we pray. He also promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts that we will find Him. He is always there.
“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you;
Hebrews 13:5b (NIV)
never will I forsake you.'”
God is always with us. He doesn’t wander off. He doesn’t sleep and miss out on being there. God is always with us!
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
Psalms 34:18 (NIV)
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Hard times can make us feel alone. But we are never alone. When we are brokenhearted, God is right there with us.
We may not always feel Him or see Him. We may get too distracted and overwhelmed to notice Him, but He is always there with us. Always!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)
This is a good Bible verse that can be easy to overlook because it’s something we’ve probably heard many times.
But I remember one of the very lowest moments of my life going to church, noticing the cross and remembering this truth.
When life is difficult and things are topsy-turvy, knowing that Christ Jesus is always the same and His promises never fail is comforting.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)
Sometimes the best way to get through difficult times is remembering we truly are only dealing with them for a little while in the grand scheme of things.
These verses encourage us to keep moving forward, looking forward to the crown of life we’ll receive one day in heaven.
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
Proverbs19:10 (ESV)
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
When we are going through heart-wrenching times, the best thing we can do is simply call on the name of Jesus. His name is a strong tower that will protect us and give us peace in the midst of our struggle.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
Doing the work of the Lord can seem discouraging sometimes. It can be easy to want to stop running and give up. We go against the flow, which can be rough.
But the good news found throughout God’s Word is God is faithful. The grace of God covers us completely as we continue on persevere.
We can trust Jesus understands our pain and truly is preparing a place for us to live with Him.
“God is our refuge and strength,
Psalm 46:1 (ESV)
a very present help in trouble.”
I love this reminder from the Word of God about God being our safe place. He protects us and shields us. Even in the midst of hard times, God is protecting us in ways beyond our own understanding.
Knowing God is always present to help is also encouraging. God is a God of hope and faithfulness. He will never forget you, His beloved child!
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
A couple of things really stand out to me about these verses. First, our Heavenly Father is compassionate and longs to comfort us if we turn to Him.
Second, our pain isn’t always for naught. In fact, many times the struggles we have survived enable us to then help others and share the love of God that He pours out so freely to us.
“And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10b (ESV)
Thinking of being joyful during hard times sounds preposterous, but God’s joy is beyond our human joy. It is joy based on our right relationship with God and not based on achievements or possessions.
That doesn’t mean we won’t or shouldn’t feel sad or distressed. However, it is a reminder we can always find joy in God’s love and knowing He is faithful, even when life is upside down.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
James 1:2-3 (NIV)
This is another verse about having joy in spite of hard times. In fact, James seems to be telling us to be joyful because we are facing trials.
That seems really hard to do. However, we know life is a mix of both good times and hard times. If we are going to have hard times any way, then let us at least be comforted by knowing God can use our trials to grow our faith.
No matter what happens, the will of God and the character of God remain true.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Following along with the previous verse, this verse is comforting in knowing God is always at work. This doesn’t mean everything will turn out fine and God will make it all perfect from our perspective.
However, we can rest in knowing that as His children whatever we face, God will be at work in and through our lives as we deal with it.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 (ESV)
I’ve had a few times in my life when I faced really hard situations and God gave me peace. It was truly beyond what I could understand.
As someone who struggles with anxiety, finding peace can be difficult at the best of times. But I am thankful for a God who can give me peace during both the best of times and the worst of times!
“You will keep in perfect peace
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.”
Peace sounds good always, but it especially does in our suffering. This powerful Bible verse reminds us that we can have perfect peace if we remain steadfast in our faith and trust in God.
When we focus on the One Who holds us in His hand, we can rest in His peace.
“You are a hiding place for me;
Psalm 32:7 (ESV)
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.”
We can’t continually hide from our problems. They do catch up with us; however, this inspirational quote from the Bible is a great reminder that we can hide in God.
When you need a break from your thoughts and challenges, hide yourself in God through things like worship and reading the Bible. These things also helps us focus on Him instead of our troubles.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)
The New Testament is full of promises for our future and what is to come. We can be encouraged by knowing our suffering isn’t permanent, and God won’t leave us in our misery forever.
We also have to remember that God’s timing and version of “a little while” is based from an eternal perspective, not a human one.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
Romans 8:26 (NIV)
As we endure the trials of life, we must also remember the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are too distraught and beside ourselves to even know what to ask God for, the Holy Spirit goes to God on our behalf.
God’s faithfulness, goodness and love continue to astound me. He clearly understands the pain being too great for our ability to put into words. And He gave us a Helper for those very times.
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Bible verses about leaning on and trusting God
