Strength and courage
Bible verses for strength and courage
Courage in the Bible is rarely the absence of fear. Again and again God speaks to people who are afraid and about to face something bigger than themselves, and the answer is not "you are strong enough" but "I am with you".
These verses are grouped by the moment you might need them: a new step, a tired season, a fear that will not go quiet, a weakness you cannot hide.
Courage for a new step
After the death of Moses, Joshua had to lead a whole people into a land they had never lived in. The call to be strong and courageous is repeated three times in the first chapter of his book, and it rests on one promise: God goes with him.
Moses had said the same to the whole people. Courage here is not a feeling you must produce. It is a response to a presence.
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.
Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them, for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.
Strength when you are tired
Isaiah does not pretend that strong people never get tired. Even the young stumble. The promise is for those who wait for the Lord: their strength is renewed, sometimes to soar, sometimes to run and sometimes simply to walk without fainting. On many days, walking is the miracle.
The psalmist is honest about his limits too. When body and heart fail, God remains the strength of the heart.
29He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might. 30Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall; 31but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
When fear speaks loudly
Psalm 27 opens with two questions that answer themselves. If the Lord is light, salvation and strength, fear loses its grip.
Paul reminds Timothy, a young leader who was easily intimidated, that fear is not the spirit God gives. And Psalm 46 imagines the worst, the earth giving way and the mountains falling into the sea, and still says: we will not be afraid.
Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
Strength made perfect in weakness
Paul asked three times for a weakness to be taken away. The answer he received was not removal but grace. He learned that God's power shows most clearly where his own ran out.
Philippians 4:13 is often read as a promise of success in anything. In its context Paul is talking about contentment: he has known hunger and plenty, and in both he finds strength in Christ.
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Make these verses your own
A verse learned by heart goes with you into the moment you need it. Some ideas:
- Pick one verse for the challenge in front of you and write it on a card or on your phone's lock screen.
- Pray it in the first person: "You are with me wherever I go."
- Say it aloud before the hard conversation, the exam or the appointment.
- Share it with someone who is facing something difficult this week.
Strength in Scripture is received, not manufactured. On the days you feel least strong, these verses are still true: you are not facing it alone.
Scripture source
Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible Classic.
World English Bible Classic (WEB), public domain. World English Bible is a trademark of eBible.org.