Encouraging Bible verses

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

God's command to be brave comes with a promise: He goes wherever you go.

“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.”

Three promises in one verse: I will strengthen you, help you and hold you up.

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Courage isn't pretending; it rests on a God who will not leave.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

When the Lord is your light, the dark has less to say.

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”

A one-line prayer for frightened moments: when I'm afraid, I will trust.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Fear is not from God; power, love and a sound mind are.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

God doesn't promise there will be no deep water, but that you won't go through it alone.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Waiting on the Lord isn't wasted time; it's where strength is renewed.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus' invitation to the weary is simply: come.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Keep going. The harvest comes in its season.

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

The outward can wear thin while the inward is made new day by day.

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”

When your own strength fails, God Himself is the strength of your heart.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Paul wrote this from prison: Christ's strength is enough for any circumstance.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Not that everything is good, but that God works all things together for good.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;”

Troubled, perplexed, persecuted and cast down, yet never in despair, forsaken or destroyed.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

Trials are not pointless; they grow patience.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus never hid that there would be trouble. He promised He has overcome it.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”

Many troubles, but the Lord delivers from them all.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Suffering lasts 'a while'; God's work to restore and strengthen you lasts.

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”

Tribulation, patience, experience, hope: hard things can lead somewhere good.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

God's thoughts toward His people are of peace, with a hope-filled end.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Hope is something God fills us with, not something we have to manufacture.

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Written in a time of ruin: His mercies are new every morning.

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Weeping may last the night, but joy comes in the morning.

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

It's all right to talk to your own soul: why so downcast? Hope in God.

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

Hold on to hope, because the One who promised is faithful.

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

Look up: your help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

God doesn't just tolerate you; He rejoices over you with singing.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing in all creation can separate you from the love of God in Christ.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

A refuge and strength: help that is very present, not far off.

“And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”

The Lord goes before you. You don't walk into tomorrow alone.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Even in the darkest valley, His presence brings comfort.

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Cast all your care on Him, because He cares for you.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

God finishes what He starts, including His work in you.

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

Encouraging each other is part of building each other up.

“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.”

A heavy heart is lifted by a good word. Yours might be that word.

“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

An ancient blessing you can pray over anyone you love.

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”

Think about how to stir one another up to love and good works.

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,”

Let someone know you thank God for them.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”

God can do far more than we ask or think.