35 Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times
Life doesn’t always go as you plan–life often doesn’t go as we plan. When we encounter hard times and we have to choose to hope in the Lord through those hardships. The Bible to tell us how to remain steadfast in hope during hard times.
Time and time again on our little life-journey things haven’t exactly gone the way we planned. There has been uncertainty and waiting. And believe me those are not things I naturally embrace!!
Through this God has been teaching me that He is taking care of my future and I need to rest and wait. In my reading of His Word this summer, God has placed multiple reassurances of HOPE before my eyes.
What is hope in the Bible?
Hope in English is defined as: “to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true.” Source
Hope in English is often interchangeable for wish or desire, but it has a different meaning in the original languages of the Bible.
Definition of Hope in the Bible
A few different words are used for hope in the Bible, here are the primary ones you will find and some things that make them different from the English usage.
- Yahal — To wait, to hope, to expect, to tarry.
- Tiqva — Literally, a cord; figuratively, hope, expectation, something to hold on to.
- Mahase — Refuge, shelter, place of hope
- Elpis — Expectation of good, confidence, faith
As you can see hope Biblically is different than our modern understanding and usage. Hope in the Bible is more firm and settled and less about wishful thinking.
35 Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times
If you’re looking for where to find hope in the Bible you’ve come to the right place. And this hopeful collection of Bible verses is just the beginning! Hope is all over God’s Word–so start looking for it!
Psalm 27:13-14 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Waiting takes courage and strength. God’s goodness is in our future, but there is most likely hopeful waiting before we get there.
Job 19:25-27 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.And after my skin is destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
Jesus coming to the earth the first time as a man to die for our sins gives us ultimate hope. Knowing He is alive, has conquered death and will stand upon the earth again in victory gives us hope for every day to come.
Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Knowing God and trusting God cannot be separated. Our hope is secure in who God is–His goodness, His steadfast love, His justice, His compassion.
Psalm 33:20-22 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Waiting in hope when life is confusing or hard demonstrates our trust in the Lord and confidence in God’s love for us, no matter what.
Psalm 71:5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.
Hope in God is a lifelong pursuit and journey. Like a good marriage that grows deeper and sweeter every year–the longer we walk with the Lord the easier it is to have hope in hard times.
Psalm 71:14 As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
Our constant hope produces praise in our lives for all the ways God has and will continue to show up for us.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Hoping in the Lord, waiting with confident expectation for Him to act on our behalf will lead to fresh, renewable, supernatural strength.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a hope and a future.
God’s plans for us are for our overall, whole-being welfare and peace. We can always have hope because God always holds our future securely.
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Lamentations 3:22-24 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.
The word “hope” in verse 22 and the word “wait” in verse 24 are actually the same word in the original language. Hope is waiting with expectation that God will come through for us in the ways He has promised.
Acts 24:15 And I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
God is the ultimate judge of every person in the world. God’s justice inspires us to hope and wait with expectation until He rights every wrong in the world.
Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Hope in God is always in the right place. Hope in God will never shame you because our hope is forever secured by how God showed His love sending Jesus to die for us and rise again.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hope is meant to overflow from God to His children and then (by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives) overflow onto everyone we come in contact with.
1 Corinthians 13:6-7, Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Hope is one of the BIG three virtues that hold together your spiritual and emotional life.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
We can hold tight to hope, because our hope is founded in God’s faithfulness. And God’s faithful character is unfailing.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul tells us we can have endurance because of the future hope of heaven and the certainty we have in our lives because Jesus loves us and has a good plan for our lives. Hope in Jesus inspires us to keep enduring in hard seasons. Because Jesus went through so much for us we can trust Him as we go through difficulties and stressors.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
When we have the kind of hope like we have we can’t help but share it! Hope can overflow in us onto all those in proximity to us. In your excitement to overflow hope to others never forget to do so respectfully and tenderly.
Psalm 25:5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
God’s truth and guidance are essential to hope. Spend time with your Heavenly Father in His Word, in prayer, meditating on His promises and see your hope grow and grow. So much great truths packed in these verses!!
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Jesus is the living embodiment of hope for believers. Because of His life and the love of God we can hope forever.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is again tied closely to hope. Faith helps reassure us that the spiritual things we are hoping and waiting expectantly for will actually come to fruition.
Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
God’s grace (that gives us salvation) also gives us eternal rejoicing and forever hope.
Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Sometimes the hope that Christians have in Jesus doesn’t always make sense to those who aren’t followers in Jesus. So we don’t rely on our own understanding, but trust the truth we know in Scripture.
Titus 2:12-13 Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
God’s grace helps train us to live our everyday lives pleasing and reflecting God’s glory. Our true hope is found in Jesus keeping all God’s promises, like returning again to earth to set every wrong thing right forever.
Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
Sometimes when hard times are hitting us in a big way it is easy to forgot how wealthy and powerful and full of hope we actually are. God has lavished us with hope that holds up even in difficult times.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self
Because I’ve learned to embrace these hopeful truths–not pushing away from God in fear, distrust, or dissatisfaction with His timing when I face hardships–His “big reveal” of His plan is so much sweeter and His righteous right hand is always holding me up.
And my hope grows!
I am blessed even in hard times with a God who reveals more of Himself–His compassion, His gentleness, His faithfulness, and steadfast love– through whatever it is I am going through.
Maybe you know where He’s taking you, maybe you don’t yet. My encouragement to you would be to embrace hope and wait with expectation of God’s goodness in your current moment and in the moments to come.
If you would like to dive deeper into what hope means in the Bible be sure to check out the Claiming Fresh Hope Bible Study!
- 4 Weeks of Guided Bible Study — focused reading hope-filled Bible verses, writing our Scripture, and then applying them to your life.
- 4 Bible Teaching Lessons — where we go deeper into the original language, context and application of hope for you today.
- Guided Discussion Questions — to help you reflect and apply what you’ve listened to in the lesson on your own or in a group setting.
- Claiming Fresh Hope Worship Playlist — a worship song for each day that goes along with the Scripture passage.
- Bonus!! –Bible Verse Cards– — Print them out and carry them with you, perfect for memorizing and meditating on the hope-filled verses you are studying.
I’m so excited for you to experience this Bible study because I am so excited for you to experience the height and depth of the HOPE God has for you.
It is rich, my friend. And it is for you.
Learn More about the Claiming Fresh Hope Bible Study
What is your favorite verse about hope?
Wow is that exciting! Congratulations on the job and the start of a new adventure!
Congratulations on this exciting change. It sounds like it will be a smooth transition too.
Congratulations Katie! Hope you all have a blessed life there.
Thanks Tasha! I hope it will! 😀
Thanks Stacy!!
Thanks Karen!
Wonderful news! So cool to see how God works things out. You are right that waiting on God (in peace and trust) is the way to live. I have been and am now in a season of waiting. It took 3 years for our house to sell in God's timing – and I can honestly say that I had His peace through the whole time, even though I am one who likes to KNOW what is going to happen. At the end of our wait there were 3 potential buyers, 2 of whom gave us offers! Right now we are waiting to see where God will direct us next. My hope is that it will be before our 1-year lease is up, but I know His way and His time is best. My job is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other!
Great news!! The Lord is so faaithful to lead where He knows will grow you and cause your heart to foloow hard after Him. What a great place to be led too.
So excited to see how the Lord is going to use you as Nate's helpmate as you move to a new area, as well as a new season in ministry.
Praying for you!!!
Great news!! The Lord is so faaithful to lead where He knows will grow you and cause your heart to foloow hard after Him. What a great place to be led too.
So excited to see how the Lord is going to use you as Nate's helpmate as you move to a new area, as well as a new season in ministry.
Praying for you!!!
Kate!! That is SO awesome!!! I love how God really does know what He is doing. 🙂 What a great testimony of waiting on the Lord. 🙂
Thank you Carra!!
Sometimes in the thick of it it's hard to see, but it is so true!!
That's awesome to see how it has worked out so far. I'll keep you guys in my prayers as well.