There are seasons in life when we all struggle with difficult circumstances. Our situation may even seem hopeless to us. But this is exactly the time when we need to strengthen our faith in the truth of God’s word with verses of hope and encouragement. As we read again of God’s love, and remember His past faithfulness, we are encouraged to continue to place our hope in Him.
What Is A Good Bible Verse For Hope?
There is a well-known passage of Scripture that brings verses of hope and encouragement to many people. It is found unexpectedly in the book of Lamentations. This consists of five chapters expressing sorrow over the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. The Temple had been destroyed and most of the people had been taken into exile to Babylon.
For the Israelites the unthinkable had happened, things could not have been any worse! And yet in the middle of this book, there is hope as the writer focuses on the goodness of God. He reminds us that God is the LORD of hope, love, faithfulness, salvation, and ultimately restoration!
These verses of hope and encouragement are relatable and bring comfort for our hard times. Because no matter how bad things appear, or how dreadful our circumstances are, there is hope when we trust in God. Hope provides us with the strength that we need today, and the ability to wait quietly, and confidently, on the LORD.
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23
“I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:24
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:25-26
Bible Verses Of Hope And Encouragement
A good place to start looking for more verses of hope and encouragement is in the Psalms. There we find honest conversations with God in the form of prayers and songs. So often we can identify and relate to the writers thoughts and feelings. Here is a small selection of inspiring short Bible verses – some are reflections about hope, while others are declarations of faith to inspire hope.
12 Short Bible Verses About Hope
- “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame…” Psalm 25:3a
- “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and shield.” Psalm 33:20
- “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:22
Our hope in God will never let us down because He is faithful. He is the One we can depend and rely on to be true to His word. Our hope is founded on the love of God and His inherent goodness towards us.
- “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever.” Psalm 100:5
- “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:22
- “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.” Psalm 33:18
- “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
There is encouragement here that God hears our prayers and the cries of our hearts. And because He hears we have hope to continue to wait for God to move, and to answer our prayers.
- “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1
- “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5
- “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:2
- “The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:8
- “…but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:9b
- “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
Hope in Hard Times Bible Verses
It is recognized in psychology today that we all need something, or someone, to give us hope in hard times. Hope is essential for our emotional and spiritual well-being. But that is not new wisdom, it was around thousands of years ago. Proverbs 13 verse 12 declares that, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”.
As Christians, our hope is not an unfounded optimism or just a positive outlook on life. It is instead a confident expectation for the future based on God’s love revealed in Christ Jesus. Scripture reveals that our hope is a person – and that blessed hope is Jesus!
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 1 Timothy 1:1 …
while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13
It is in hard and difficult times that we learn where, and in whom, our hope is based. Those questions that don’t seem to have an answer, we can bring to Jesus. All our pain, and grief, we can surrender to the Lord. Our life’s lesson is learning to trust in Him now, while knowing that Jesus is our hope for the future.
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:11
We can join with the psalmist here and recognize that there are times when we will be troubled and feel sad. But at the same time, those who know the Lord have a peace and assurance – this too will pass. So many of our anxieties are temporary, but God’s richest blessings begin now and last for eternity.
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
Psalm 27:13-14
Hope And Encouragement In Waiting
“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.” Jeremiah 29:11
These beautiful words of encouragement from God to the exiles in Babylon were delivered by Jeremiah. They were given to bring the people hope in their hard times. Although the people felt far from God, He was reassuring them that His plans and purposes would prevail.
In the next few verses of Jeremiah chapter twenty-nine, God calls His people to seek Him with all their heart, and to pray. His desire is for a relationship with us, and God is with us in every situation of our lives. Sometimes, though, that means waiting for God’s timing, which can be hard. But His plans and purposes are far higher, and greater, than ours.
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4
“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
Romans 8:24-25
You may also like to read: Still Waiting? What Is The Meaning of Psalm 13
Waiting brings us an opportunity to trust in God’s love, and to grow in confidence in His faithfulness. Unfortunately, those life lessons are only learnt in the storms of life, in the tough times. It is there that we come to depend on our hope in Christ Jesus…
“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see…”
Hebrews 11:1
Have you found some new verses of hope and encouragement to strengthen your faith in the truth of God’s word? Drop a comment below and bless us with your favorite verse. And if you want to connect you can follow limitless-horizon on social media or subscribe and receive our newsletter with access to a library of free Bible study resources!
