19 Verses · World English Bible
19 Bible Verses About Encouragement
Some days simply take more than they give. Work runs long, the diagnosis is not what you prayed for, the prodigal has not called, and the tiredness goes deeper than sleep can fix. Scripture has a word for people in exactly that condition: the weary. And it has more than sympathy for them; it has promises. God gives strength to the weary, Isaiah announces. Come to me, Jesus says, all you who are weary and burdened. These Bible verses of encouragement are gathered for the days when your own resources have run out, and they are arranged so you can quickly find the kind of lift you need: strength, comfort, companionship, or simply the reminder that God has not lost your address.
The nineteen passages below fall into five groups: strength for the weary, God’s nearness to the brokenhearted, the call to encourage one another, promises worth holding onto, and words for the moment you feel like giving up. Encouragement in Scripture is more than a pep talk; the word carries the idea of coming alongside someone and putting courage back into them. That is what God does through these verses, and it is what he invites us to do for each other. Hebrews goes as far as to say we should do it daily. So read this page for yourself first, but keep an eye out for a verse that belongs to someone else. One of these passages, sent at the right moment, might be the encouragement a friend has been praying for.
Strength for the Weary
These are Scripture’s great promises for empty tanks. Isaiah pictures the exhausted soaring on renewed strength; Jesus opens his arms to the weary and burdened and offers rest for the soul. Paul, no stranger to being worn down, says the inward renewal happens daily. Start here if today has already taken everything you had.
“He gives power to the weak.He increases the strength of him who has no might. Even the youths faint and get weary,and the young men utterly fall; but those who wait for the LORD 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.”
““Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””
“My flesh and my heart fails,but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
“Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward person is decaying, yet our inward person is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory, while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Near to the Brokenhearted
Some weariness is really grief. These verses say something remarkable: God does not keep a polite distance from broken hearts; he moves closer to them, binding up wounds and even singing over his people. Whatever you have lost, the God who goes before you and never leaves you is nearer than the ache suggests.
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,and saves those who have a crushed spirit.”
“He heals the broken in heart,and binds up their wounds.”
“The LORD, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”
“The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.””
Encourage One Another
Encouragement is a ministry every believer can practice without training or a title. Scripture treats it as basic Christian upkeep: build each other up, spur one another on, and do it daily so no heart quietly hardens. Proverbs adds that a single kind word can lift an anxiety-weighted heart. Someone near you needs one today.
“Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.”
“Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
“but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today”, lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,but a kind word makes it glad.”
Promises to Hold Onto
When feelings collapse, promises hold. These verses are load-bearing: strength for everything through Christ, a love that no power in creation can pry us away from, a refuge that stays steady while the ground moves, and Jesus’ own take heart, spoken with full knowledge of how much trouble this world actually contains.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“God is our refuge and strength,a very present help in trouble. Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes,though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;”
“I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.””
When You Feel Like Giving Up
These final verses are for the last mile, when quitting starts to sound reasonable. Paul promises a harvest for those who do not give up, and testifies that God’s grace is enough when strength is gone. Peter assures the suffering that restoration is coming. The weariness is real; so is the God who restores.
“Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.”
“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. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.”
“But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
A Prayer About Encouragement
Father, you see how tired we are: tired in body, tired in heart, tired of holding on. Thank you that you never grow weary, and that you give strength to those who do. Draw near to the brokenhearted among us today. Renew us inwardly, even where outward things are wasting away. Make us encouragers, quick with the kind word that lifts a heavy heart, and when we are ready to quit, remind us of the harvest ahead. Amen.
Common Questions
What is the most encouraging verse in the Bible?
It depends on what kind of encouragement you need, but a few passages are reached for again and again: Isaiah 40:31 for renewed strength, Matthew 11:28 for rest, Philippians 4:13 for impossible days, and Romans 8:38-39 for the assurance that nothing can separate you from God’s love. Many believers keep one of these memorized so encouragement is available before they can even open a Bible.
What does the Bible say about encouraging others?
Scripture treats encouragement as a daily responsibility, not an occasional nicety. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says to encourage one another and build each other up, Hebrews 3:13 says to do it every day, and Hebrews 10:24-25 ties it to meeting together regularly. Proverbs 12:25 explains why it matters: anxiety weighs a heart down, and a good word cheers it up. Encouragement is one of the simplest ways to love someone.
What Bible verse can I send to encourage someone?
Match the verse to the moment. For someone exhausted, send Matthew 11:28-30 or Isaiah 40:29-31. For grief, Psalm 34:18, which promises that God is close to the brokenhearted. For fear about the future, Romans 8:38-39. For someone ready to give up, Galatians 6:9. A short personal note alongside the reference, telling them why you thought of them, often doubles the encouragement.
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