Free printable
A Verse for Right Now: 3 free cards
Three printable verse cards for when you’re afraid, worn out, or can’t sleep: Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 11:28–29 and Psalm 4:8. Keep one by your bed and one in your wallet.
Get 3 free cardsHonest about pain, steady about hope
Bible Verses for Hard Times
Hard seasons don’t always have a quick fix, and the Bible doesn’t pretend they do. These verses are honest about pain and steady about hope.
If you’re grieving or worn down, you don’t need to read them all. Find one that says what you can’t, and stay with it for a while.
When your heart is broken
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
God doesn’t keep his distance from people who are hurting. He comes near to them.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
A picture of someone gently bandaging a wound. Healing takes time, and God is patient with it.
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.
The valley isn’t skipped. But “walk through” means there’s another side, and you aren’t walking alone.
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.
Near the very end of the Bible: a promised day with no more tears. Every hard day now is temporary.
When it feels like too much
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
Four kinds of pressure, and four “but not”s. You can be pressed hard and still not be crushed.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.
It says “when,” not “if.” Deep water and fire do come. God promises to be with you in them.
I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
David waited a long time. Then God lifted him out of the pit and gave him a new song. Your story isn’t finished.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul lists everything he can think of, from death to the future. None of it can cut you off from God’s love.
While you wait for it to end
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
It doesn’t say everything is good. It says God works all things, even the bad ones, together for good.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Paul calls his troubles “light and momentary” after being beaten and shipwrecked (2 Corinthians 11:23–27). Not because they didn’t hurt, but because of what’s ahead.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Hard times build something: endurance, then character, then a hope that won’t let you down.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
“Pure joy” sounds impossible in a trial. James means joy in what the trial is building, not in the pain itself.
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
“A little while.” Suffering has an end, and God himself does the restoring.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
Three short instructions for a long season: hold on to hope, be patient, keep praying.
Keep a verse close
Questions people ask
What does the Bible say about going through hard times?
It says hard times will come (John 16:33), that God is close to people who are hurting (Psalm 34:18), and that suffering isn’t the end of the story (Revelation 21:4). Many of the Psalms are prayers written in the middle of trouble.
Does God cause suffering?
The Bible doesn’t give one simple answer. What it shows clearly is God being near to people who suffer (Psalm 34:18), Jesus weeping with his grieving friends (John 11:35), and a promise that pain will one day end (Revelation 21:4).
What should I read when I’m grieving?
Psalm 23, Psalm 34 and John 11 are good places to start. Our free app has a seven-day reading path called Hope in hard days with short readings for heavy seasons.
What if I’m struggling to cope?
Please reach out to someone: a friend, a pastor, a doctor or a counselor. You don’t have to carry this alone. If you are in crisis in the US, you can call or text 988 any time.