Faith in Hard Times: 35 Awesome Bible Verses

By David Small •  Updated: 11/25/20 •  20 min read

Are you feeling weak, hopeless, and alone, because of hardship due to life situations.

I have compiled my favorite Bible verses about faith in hard times that will help you find renewed strength, hope, and trust in God.

Bible Verses About Faith in Hard Times

Photo by Shane on Unsplash

If you are facing hard and uncertain times be encouraged and press on knowing that you are an overcomer. None of us like to go through difficult times.

When dark clouds come up, we usually ask ourselves: Why only? Or: why does this always happen to me?

On the other hand, if we understand how valuable such times of trial are, we can face them with a positive attitude.

Below are some bible verses that talk about faith in hard times.

 

  1. Psalm 34:19

“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.”

David begins Psalm 34 praising and exalting the LORD, it’s a Bible verse about faith in hard times.

David always gets blessed whenever he praises the Lord. Yet, mixed in with these blessings are the realities of troubles and afflictions, and David knew them well.

So many were his troubles that He often cried out to the Lord.  While seeking God in the midst of his troubles he found refuge, deliverance, and a nearness to God.

So, we can also apply this to power our faith in hard times.

  1. Psalm 145:18

“The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.”

The LORD is nigh unto all that call upon him. He is omnipresent, but to sympathize and favor.

He does not leave praying men, and men who confess his name, to battle with the world alone, but he is ever at their side.

This favor is not for a few of those who invoke him, but for each one of the pious company.

“All” who place themselves beneath the shield of his glorious name by calling themselves by it, and by calling upon it in supplication, shall find him to be a very present help in trouble.

  1. Joshua 1:9

“This is my command–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

The commands of the Lord are not difficult or tedious to those that trust in the Word of the Lord. The instructions from God are not impossible or unrealistic to those that are called by His name.

Joshua was here commanded to be strong and courageous. He was to draw his strength from the Lord God and was not to be dependent on his own brawn or brains.

  1. Mark 5:36

“But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”

“Don’t be afraid, just believe!” Just believe? Yes, if it were that easy … Just believe? But we have to do our part too ?!

We have to make an effort, have to try to set heaven and earth in motion, have to stick with it and persevere and fight ?!

We can’t just sit back and relax and “just believe” according to the motto “The Lord will fix it!”

Also Related: Top 55 Bible Verses for Strength Durning Hard Times.

  1. Hebrews 11:1

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

Faith means trust, this is another great Bible verses about faith in hard times. And we know what trust means from our everyday lives.

It is similar to the belief in God we read about in the Bible. We trust that this God exists, even if we have never seen him.

22 e1607139449853

  1. 2 Corinthians 5:7

“For we live by believing and not by seeing.”

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul explains why he and the other apostles continued to try to spread Christianity even though they put their lives in danger by doing so.

He explained that the apostles believed they would be happy in Heaven after their deaths. They were confident that the earth was just a temporary home until they could be in Heaven with the Lord. They lived and acted in the belief in the truth of the Word of God.

We must take note of these Bible verses about faith in hard times in every trouble of life.

  1. Romans 8:24

“We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.”

That is, when we were saved, we were graciously given Christian hope. Outside of Christ, there is no hope, whereas salvation brings us great hope that God will do well to use in the future.

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:18

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

“What is visible is temporal, but what is invisible is eternal ”(2 Corinthians 4:18)

The Bible verse comes from the so-called letter of tears. The apostle Paul suffered a lot from his beloved church in Corinth.

Political parties threatened to break up the community, moral insecurities led to rifts in the community and various forms of piety gave rise to controversy

  1. Genesis 50:20

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

It was probably jealousy that caused Joseph’s brothers to treat him so cruelly, throwing him into a deep pit and finally selling him into slavery, causing his father such deep pain.

But God in His wisdom turned a most heinous crime into the most beautiful story, culminating in a glorious finale

  1. Romans 8:28

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Romans 8: 28 is a Bible verse about faith in hard times, Redemption of the body is a matter of hope, and in that sense, we have been saved in hope.

Hope in no way implies uncertainty; it just means that this blessing has not yet been revealed. As is well known, hope that is seen is not hope. Because what one sees, what does he hope for?

33 e1607139599581

  1. Isaiah 43:2

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. And When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

In these Bible verses about faith in hard times, God is telling the Jewish people that He will be with them in their most troubling times, supporting them through them, giving them the strength to move beyond them, and delivering them out of danger without harm.

  1. Psalm 91:14-16

“The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.

When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. Will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with long life and give them my salvation.”

The sheer mass of God’s promises overwhelms.  He makes eight promises in one paragraph! He pledges to deliver, to protect, to answer, to be with us, to rescue and honor us, to satisfy, and show us his salvation.

God’s love moves him not to negotiate arduous contracts with his beloved, rather to joyfully commit to lavish and extravagant promises!

  1. Psalm 34:18

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. Near in friendship to accept and console. Broken hearts think God far away when he is really most near them; their eyes are Holden so that they see not their best friend.

Indeed, he is with them, and in them, but they know it not. They run hither and thither, seeking peace in their own works, or in experiences, or in proposals and resolutions, whereas the Lord is nigh them, and the simple act of faith will reveal him.

Also Related: What to do When You Are Struggling With  Your Faith?

  1. Isaiah 41:10

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

These Bible verses about faith in hard times show that we have overcome by fear. The fear of an important exam. The fear of losing your job and falling into debt.

Fear of illness or severe disability. – “You are afraid in the world,” Jesus told his disciples, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

  1. Isaiah 54:17

“But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you.

These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Our confidence rests upon the sure promises of our all-powerful God, Who reminds us, throughout His Word, that He is the almighty, sovereign Ruler of the universe, and has given us His assurance that no weapon.

Whether physical or spiritual, will prosper against His blood-bought children. These Bible verses about faith in hard times will make us strong in faith.

62 e1607139681794

  1. Isaiah 40:31

“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. Will walk and not faint.”

For me, there is nothing better than being cheerful and full of energy when I wake up one morning. Then I thank God for the good night and for accompanying him through the new day.

Many thoughts swirl through my head: “What encounters will I have today? What do I have to do? And what should I not forget? ”I happily jump out of bed and look forward to what is to come.

It would be nice if it could always be that way.

  1. Galatians 6:9

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Have you already done something good today? It is noteworthy that this passage from the Bible does not explain at all what that actually means.

Doing good can take many forms! But you will always receive it yourself or someone else will receive it and receive help from it.

The good is always specific, even if it is not explicitly named here: For example, it can be a good, encouraging word for us or for another in a difficult situation. It can be a donation that arrives at an empty till on time.

  1. 1 Corinthians 10:13

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful.

He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

We need these Bible verses about faith in hard times in our daily life.

“I believe that God wants to give us as much resilience as we need in an emergency. But he doesn’t give it in advance so that we don’t rely on ourselves but on him alone.” So we must always rely on God with our faith in hard times.

19. 1 Peter 1: 7

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.

So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

As Christians, we rejoice.

This is in response to God’s great mercy, and our great hope of resurrection and being eternally provided for in heaven. If we make these Bible verses about faith in hard times our priority we shall always be happy.

  1. 1 Peter 5:7

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

Worrying is part of human life. We understand in these Bible verses about faith in hard times that Worrying has something to do with loving, with bearing responsibility. Animals need to be looked after, flowers need water and families need something to eat.

To care for means to give the creature and the people entrusted to it what they need for life. Still, the Bible warns that we can be trapped by worry.

Do I allow worries to grapple with me from the front and back, that I can’t think of anything else and that worry almost goes mad? Peter recommends: “Cast all care on him; because he takes care of you.”

15 e1607139780251

  1. 1 Peter 5:9

“Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

Peter urged his Christian readers to be sober-minded and alert because our enemy is after us.

That enemy is the devil—Satan—and his agenda is to “devour” Christians. His intent is to cause real and lasting harm to us and, especially, to weaken our trust in the Father.

Here, Peter tells us how to respond to the reality of the devil. Regardless of any factor, we are meant to stand firm with our faith in hard times.

  1. James 1:2-3

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

We are counseled here by James who was Jesus’ brother in these Bible verses about faith in hard times over our faith in hard times.

Hardly anyone knew Jesus as James did—he grew up with Him. He was able to watch Him over the course of His entire life, and so he knew the mind of Christ exceedingly well.

James says that we are to consider trials as a reason for great joy because trials are capable of producing good results.

Also Related: How to Build Your Faith and Trust in God.

  1. Romans 8:18

“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

Paul also suffered persecution for believing in Jesus and for testifying the gospel. In addition, Paul experienced unspeakable suffering and faith in hard times.

In 2 Corinthians he tells of his terrible and life-threatening situations in these Bible verses about faith in hard times.

Hardly any of us have gone through as much suffering. And this suffering tried Apostle Paul is firmly convinced that in the face of eternal glory all the sufferings of earthly life no longer have any meaning.

  1. Proverbs 3:6

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

In the Bible, it is very often said that we should think, seek advice, and estimate costs.

But relying on God is the order of the day where we reach our limits, where we rely more on ourselves than on God. Where we feel abandoned! This is precisely where we can trust God to do everything.

  1. Matthew 21:22

“You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

When the disciples wondered why the tree was withering so quickly, the Lord told them that if they had enough faith they could do even greater miracles than this.

For example, they could say to a mountain, “Lift up and throw yourself into the sea,” and it would happen. “And whatever you believe in prayer, you will receive.” These Bible verses about faith in hard times will help our faith to be strong.

43 e1607139849372

  1. Hebrews 11:6

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

So much within the New Testament epistles is mistakenly thought to be addressed to the unbeliever, when it is written to Christians.

Hebrews is an example of Scripture that gives maturing believers guidance on how to live by faith – how to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

27. 1 Corinthians 2:5

“I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”

Human instinct is to rely on self, but Paul was humbled before the mighty hand of God and quickly learned that the wisdom of the world, which is so prized by men, is foolishness before God.

28. Ephesians 6:10-17

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm.

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Do those words sound familiar? They should. They come right out of the text of Ephesians 6:11, which in its entirety reads, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

That armor is given in order to help Christians “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (6:10). There are four important truths or principles that every child of God needs to recognize in connection with the charge to “put on the whole armor of God.”

29. James 1:6-8

“But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.

Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

James revealed an amazing promise in these Bible verses about faith in hard times.

The God who created the universe will give wisdom to all who ask Him for it. He doesn’t give it based on our worthiness but based only on our request.

Why? As James made clear in verses 2 through 4, God wants His children to trust Him, and He is ready to reward evidence of our trust in Him. One such evidence is asking Him for wisdom when we don’t know what to do.

30. 1 Corinthians 16:13

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.”

With these Bible verses about faith in hard times Paul tries to back them up: “Do not give up the faith! Don’t stop trusting that it makes a difference whether you live with God or without God!

Sometimes you would like to toss your values ​​overboard and give up. But be brave and strong, live differently from the society around you! “. We should always get troubled no more with our faith in hard times because God is with us.

53 e1607139945141

31. Romans 8:31

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

“The main thing is healthy!” That’s how I hear many people say who talk about their hopes and plans, their fears and worries. – Of course, health is incredibly important. But is it really the main thing?

What is the main thing? What is more important than anything else in our life? The apostle Paul ponders this for many chapters in Romans. He writes about God’s purposes for the world and people, about sin, and about God’s grace towards all sinners.

32. Romans 8:37

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

How have you fared with your annual resolutions? You remember: I’m talking about what you and I had planned for this year. Have you been successful? – I mean for at least two weeks?

Some of what I set out to do at the turn of the year went relatively well for me. Sure, I had to be pretty disciplined, but it worked. And then, yes, then there are the many resolutions that I have failed grandly with. Unfortunately, there are more resolutions than I would like.

In his letter to the Christians in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote the following thought: “We overcome far through him who loved us”, Romans 8:37.

33. John 16:33

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

It would be hard if Jesus had only given his disciples this truth on the way through time. “… but be of good cheer, I have conquered (conquered) the world.” His people should remember that.

Realism is good, living hope is better. We Christians do not need to fool ourselves, we do not need to dream ourselves away into enthusiastic “Kingdom of God fantasies”, but are allowed – no – to face the reality of a godless world with all its consequences.

34. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, are strong and immovable.

Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

Jesus has got the victory over sin; he has put it away by the sacrifice of himself; for though it reigns over his people before conversion, and dwells in them after it, yet in consequence of his atonement.

it loses its governing power through the Spirit and grace of God in regeneration, and entirely its damning power over them, and in the resurrection, the morn will not be so much as in being in them.

35. Proverbs 18:10

“The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.”

This is an encouragement for faith in hard times. “What you can rely on!” – But who can you rely on?

The answer is in the sentence drawn for today, in Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; there the pious hurries and is safe.”

Now the first challenges, tests, and maybe even successes in the young year are behind us. The question arises: Who and what can you really rely on? In answering this question, the name of God is central to me.

Conclusion

We have been able to learn from the above Bible verses about faith in hard times. So patience is a fruit of the spirit that only develops in difficult times.

The Duden defines “patience” as follows: “Perseverance in calm, controlled, indulgent enduring or waiting for something.”

Those who are patient are also steadfast, disciplined, and focused – they don’t run away from difficult things, but get through them.

David Small

Is an Ordained Minister and Life Coach. He is an ordained minister since 1988. Shortly after receiving Jesus as his personal savior, he answered the call to ministry.

Keep Reading