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 cardsWhen you’re running on empty
Bible Verses for Strength
These aren’t verses about trying harder. Most of them were written by people who had run out of strength and found it somewhere else.
Read the one that fits where you are today. The short note under each one tells you what was happening when it was written, which often makes it hit harder.
When you’re worn out
He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
Even the young and fit run out. The promise is for people who wait on God: strength renewed, one step at a time.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Your body and your heart may give out. God is the strength that doesn’t.
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul begged God three times to take a hardship away (verse 8). The answer was grace, and a new way to see weakness.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”
Spoken to Zerubbabel, who was rebuilding the temple with very little. Big things get done by God’s Spirit, not by having enough.
When you need courage
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua was taking over from Moses. His courage rests on one fact: God goes with him wherever he goes.
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Moses said this to a whole nation facing an unknown future. The promise is repeated in Hebrews 13:5: “Never will I leave you.”
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.
Trust and fear are put side by side, and trust wins. God is your strength, and your song too.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Strong “in the Lord,” not in yourself. Paul goes on to describe the armor God gives (Ephesians 6:11–18).
Strength for the climb
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Often quoted for sports and big goals. In context (verses 11–12), Paul means he can face having plenty or having nothing, because Christ gives him strength.
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
God doesn’t only give strength; he clears the path. A good prayer for the day ahead.
GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights!
Habakkuk wrote this while expecting hard times (verses 17–18). Like a deer on the mountains, he is given sure feet for rough ground.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
Strength and shield: power to keep going, and protection while you do. The verse ends in a song.
Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
The people were in tears as God’s law was read to them. Nehemiah told them to celebrate instead, because joy in the Lord is where strength comes from.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
“Ever-present” means you don’t have to go looking for help. It’s already there in the trouble.
Keep a verse close
Questions people ask
What is the most powerful Bible verse for strength?
Isaiah 40:31 is one of the best loved: “Those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles.” Philippians 4:13 and Joshua 1:9 are close behind.
What does Philippians 4:13 really mean?
Paul wrote it from prison. In the verses just before, he says he has learned to be content with plenty and with nothing. So “I can do all things” means “I can get through anything with Christ’s strength,” more than “I can achieve any goal.”
How can I find strength when I’m exhausted?
Start small. Rest if you can, ask someone for help, and read one verse slowly instead of many. 2 Corinthians 12:9 is a good one for exhausted days: God’s power is “perfected in weakness.”
Can I read these verses in context for free?
Yes. Every verse here is in our free Bible app on favorminded.com, so you can read the whole chapter around it. No account needed.