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Powerful Bible Verses to Help You in Tough Times

Each day brings questions for which we need answers. In a world that grows more complex hour by hour, we constantly face new problems and opportunities. What should we do? How should we react? What can we believe? The word of God has the answers to all of these questions. Often we just don’t know where to find these answers in the 66 books. Given below are references to some powerful Bible verses to keep you going in the most common situations in life. [Adopted from the 2011 Bible Reading plan published by The Ceylon Bible Society – Scripture quotations are taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org]

Bible Verses Concerning Personal Life

Scripture readings for times of stress, discouragement, frustration, worry, anxiety, fatigue, grief, busyness, fear, loneliness, rejection, sickness, pain, depression, uncertainty, temptation, needs, and crisis.

In Times of Stress

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.
2
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
3
He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

4
Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with [b]oil;
My cup overflows.
6
Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

Psalm 118:5-6

Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me free.
6
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can [mere] man do to me?

Worry and Anxiety

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

Matthew 6:25-34

25 “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by worrying can add one hour to [the length of] his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin [wool to make clothing], 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is [cut and] thrown [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1 Peter 5:7

7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

When Discouraged

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Psalm 37

Do not worry because of evildoers,
Nor be envious toward wrongdoers;
2
For they will wither quickly like the grass,
And fade like the green herb.
3
Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.
4
Delight yourself in the Lord,
And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.
5
Commit your way to the Lord;
Trust in Him also and He will do it.
6
He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,
And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].

7
Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him;
Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8
Cease from anger and abandon wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evil.
9
For those who do evil will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10
For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever];
Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found].
11
But the humble will [at last] inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity and peace.

12
The wicked plots against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13
The Lord laughs at him [the wicked one—the one who oppresses the righteous],
For He sees that his day [of defeat] is coming.
14
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slaughter those who are upright in conduct [those with personal integrity and godly character].
15
The sword [of the ungodly] will enter their own heart,
And their bow will be broken.

16
Better is the little of the righteous [who seek the will of God]
Than the abundance (riches) of many wicked (godless).
17
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord upholds and sustains the righteous [who seek Him].
18
The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will continue forever.
19
They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have plenty and be satisfied.
20
But the wicked (ungodly) will perish,
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures and like the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke],
They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21
The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and kind and gives.
22
For those blessed by God will [at last] inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

23
The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].
24
When he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.
25
I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned
Or his descendants pleading for bread.
26
All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his descendants are a blessing.

27
Depart from evil and do good;
And you will dwell [securely in the land] forever.
28
For the Lord delights in justice
And does not abandon His saints (faithful ones);
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked will [in time] be cut off.
29
The righteous will inherit the land
And live in it forever.
30
The mouth of the righteous proclaims wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice and truth.
31
The law of his God is in his heart;
Not one of his steps will slip.
32
The wicked lies in wait for the righteous
And seeks to kill him.
33
The Lord will not leave him in his hand
Or let him be condemned when he is judged.
34
Wait for and expect the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
[In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35
I have seen a wicked, violent man [with great power]
Spreading and flaunting himself like a cedar in its native soil,
36
Yet he passed away, and lo, he was no more;
I sought him, but he could not be found.
37
Mark the blameless man [who is spiritually complete], and behold the upright [who walks in moral integrity];
There is a [good] future for the man of peace [because a life of honor blesses one’s descendants].
38
As for transgressors, they will be completely destroyed;
The future of the wicked will be cut off.
39
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their refuge and stronghold in the time of trouble.
40
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.

When Frustrated

Psalms 34:18

The Lord is near to the heartbroken
And He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).

When Fatigued

Isaiah 40:28

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become tired or grow weary;
There is no searching of His understanding.

When in Grief

Revelation 21:4

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the former order of things has passed away.

Matthew 5:4

Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].

Tired and Busy

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

Scared/Lonely

Psalms 91

He who [a]dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].
2
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!”
3
For He will save you from the trap of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence.
4
He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions,
And under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.

5
You will not be afraid of the terror of night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6
Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction (sudden death) that lays waste at noon.
7
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But danger will not come near you.
8
You will only [be a spectator as you] look on with your eyes
And witness the [divine] repayment of the wicked [as you watch safely from the shelter of the Most High].
9
Because you have made the Lord, [who is] my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.

11
For He will command His angels in regard to you,
To protect and defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
12
They will lift you up in their hands,
So that you do not [even] strike your foot against a stone.
13
You will tread upon the lion and cobra;
The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14
“Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him;
I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never].
15
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16
“With a long life I will satisfy him
And I will let him see My salvation.”

When Rejected

Psalms 27:10

Although my father and my mother have abandoned me,
Yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].

Sickness and Pain

2 Kings 20:1-8

In those days [when Sennacherib first invaded Judah] Hezekiah became deathly ill. The prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not recover.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Please, O Lord, remember now [with compassion] how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth and with a whole heart [entirely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father (ancestor): “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I am healing you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life and save you and this city [Jerusalem] from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’” 7 Then Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And they brought it and placed it on the [painful] inflammation, and he recovered.”

8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will [completely] heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” 9 Isaiah said, “This will be the sign to you from the Lord, that He will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow [indicating the time of day] go forward ten steps, or go backward ten steps?” 10 Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to go forward ten steps; no, but let the shadow turn backward ten steps.” 11 So Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow on the steps ten steps backward by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

When Depressed

Psalms 34:17

When the righteous cry [for help], the Lord hears
And rescues them from all their distress and troubles.

uncertainties

Psalms 121:3-8

He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].

5
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6
The sun will not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7
The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your life.
8
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do]
From this time forth and forever.

When Tempted

1 Corinthians 10:13

13 No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].

Unmet Needs

Philippians 4:19

19 And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Crisis Situations

Psalms 46:1

God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable],
A very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Bible Verses Concerning Your Future

Scripture readings for career advancement, assuming leadership and planning for the future.

career advancement

Proverbs 24:27

Prepare your work outside
And get it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterward build your house and establish a home.

Assuming Leadership

Joshua 11:16-18

16 So Joshua took all this land: the hill country, all the Negev (South country), all the land of Goshen, the lowland, the Arabah [plain], the hill country of Israel and its lowland 17 from Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir [in the south], even as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon [in the north]. He captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death. 18 Joshua waged war with all these kings a long time [at least five years].

When Planning

Proverbs 21:5

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance and advantage,
But everyone who acts in haste comes surely to poverty.

Proverbs 16:3

Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him],
And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

James 4:14-15

14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air]. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and we will do this or that.”

Bible Verses Concerning Your Family

Scripture readings for when you are worried about a family member as well as when you are angry with a family member.

If You’re worried Over a Family Member

Colossians 2:5

5 For even though I am absent [from you] in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, delighted to see your good discipline [as you stand shoulder to shoulder and form a solid front] and to see the stability of your faith in Christ [your steadfast reliance on Him and your unwavering confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].

Psalms 34:22

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

If you’re angry with a Family Member

Matthew 5:23-24

23 So if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and while there you remember that your brother has something [such as a grievance or legitimate complaint] against you, 24 leave your offering there at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Matthew 18:21-22

21 Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.

Ephesians 4:26-27

26 BE ANGRY [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. 27 And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].

Closing Remarks

Every day, we are confronted with new questions to which we must find answers. We are continuously confronted with fresh issues and opportunities in a world that is becoming more complex by the hour. What are our options? What shall we do? What are we supposed to believe? All of these questions are answered in God’s word. We frequently don’t know where in the 66 books to go for these answers. The powerful Bible verses listed above, in my opinion, will keep you going in the most typical life situations. Keep in mind that Google does not have all of the answers.


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