Articles

Have you experienced a season when all you received was bad news? One after another, trials crashed into your life like waves pounding against the shore, barely giving you time to breathe before the next hit. When this happens, our default response can be to lose hope. We might wonder, “Where’s God in all this? How can any good come from these hard times? Does God care (or even see) what’s happening to me?”  

Suffering and hardship are universal. Jesus said that God “makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt 5:45). Hard times will befall Christians and non-Christians, but only Christians have a true and living hope. Where is your hope found?

Ships use anchors to plant themselves on something solid amid turbulent seas. Likewise, Jesus Christ is an anchor for the soul, steadying us in the storms of life (Hebrews 6:19).

Consider these 20 Verses in your season of hardship. Meditate on them, chew them over, and commit them to memory–for they are your lifelines of hope.

20 Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times

1. Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV)
   I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
   
   

2. James 1:2-3 (ESV)
   Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
   
   
3. Nahum 1:7 (ESV)
   The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
   
   
4. Psalm 9:9 (ESV)
   The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
   
   
5. John 14:27 (ESV)
   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
   
   
6. Matthew 5:4 (ESV)
   Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
   
   
7. Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
   
   
8. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
   fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
   
   
9. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV)
   So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
   
   
10. Romans 8:28 (ESV)
    And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
    
    
11. Psalm 34:19 (ESV)
    Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
    
    
12. Psalm 42:11 (ESV)
    Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
    
    
13. Psalm 31:24 (ESV)
    Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!
    
    
14. Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)
    Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
    
    
15. Psalm 16:8 (ESV)
    I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
    
    

16. Job 14:7-9 (ESV)
    For there is hope for a tree if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.
    
    
17. Matthew 11:28 (ESV)
    Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
    
    
18. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
    No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
    
    
19. Psalm 91:15
    When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.
    
    
20. James 1:12 (ESV)
    Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
    
    

God is always at work in your life

Hard times are a part of life, like sunshine and rainfall. When trials come, Christians should first turn to God’s Word for hope, assurance, and calm. Remember, we have a limited view of what’s happening behind the scenes. Your hardships are never in vain and are working in you an eternal weight of glory that will supersede any affliction you endure in this life.

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”

John Piper

You can have hope! Rest in these promises that are yours if you are in Christ. 

He is a sure foundation!

Cara

P.S. We can have hope if we are in Christ. Consider your union with Christ as the surety of your hope. You are secure in his love and care if you are in him, and he is in you. Grab this free download to discover all the blessings that are yours in Christ.

Related Posts:

How to Find Peace in the Midst of Your Storm
How to Overcome Trials in Your Life
How to Face Fiery Trials With Faith
He Prays for Us When Satan Desires to Sift Us as Wheat
How to Stand on Solid Ground When Foundations Are Shaken
20 Bible Verses About God’s Provision