What is a good Bible verse to send someone who is discouraged?

Joshua 1:9 and Isaiah 41:10 are two of the most shared verses in the world, and for good reason: both tie courage to God's presence. For someone who is exhausted rather than afraid, Isaiah 40:31 or Matthew 11:28 fits better. Add a personal sentence about why you thought of them. The note matters almost as much as the verse.

Which verses help when I feel like giving up?

Galatians 6:9 speaks directly to that feeling, promising a harvest to people who keep going. Isaiah 40:29 and 2 Corinthians 4:16 both assume weariness and offer renewal rather than shame. Read one of them each morning for a week. Encouragement in Scripture works less like a single jolt and more like food, something you take in regularly.

How is biblical encouragement different from positive thinking?

Positive thinking asks you to generate confidence from inside yourself. Biblical encouragement points outside you, to a God who is present, faithful, and strong when you are not. That is why verses like Deuteronomy 31:6 give a reason for courage rather than just a command. The instruction to be strong always rests on a promise about God, not on your mood.

Bible Verses About Encouragement

A random verse drawn from 23 passages chosen for this topic.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9KJV

TranslationFrom

Drawing from 23 verses

Discouragement is quiet. It rarely arrives as a single crisis. It seeps in through a hard week, a setback, a long stretch of trying without much to show for it. The Bible has a great deal to say to people in exactly that spot.

The verses in the tool above come out of real pressure. Joshua 1:9 was spoken to a man stepping into an impossible job. Isaiah 40:31 was addressed to a nation worn down and far from home. Philippians 4:13 was written from a prison cell. Biblical encouragement is not cheerfulness. It is strength delivered into hard places.

Notice what these passages actually promise. Not an easy road, but renewed strength for the road you are on. Not the absence of fear, but the presence of God in the middle of it. Deuteronomy 31:6 ties courage directly to one fact: God goes with you and does not walk away.

People pull up these verses before a difficult conversation, an exam, a surgery, a hard Monday. Students memorize them. Friends text them to each other. They work in all of those settings because their power does not come from positive thinking. It comes from the God they point to.

Here is one good way to use this page. Draw a verse with the button above and read it twice, once for the promise and once for the reason behind it. Most encouragement verses contain both, and the reason is what makes the promise hold up under weight.

If you are encouraging someone else, send the reference along with a short personal note about why it made you think of them. A verse chosen for a specific person at a specific moment lands very differently than a generic quote.

And if you are the one running on empty, be patient with yourself. Isaiah 40:29 assumes weariness. These words exist because God's people get tired, and needing encouragement is not a failure of faith.

Coming back to these verses day after day, especially on the days you feel nothing, is what faith often looks like in practice.

All 23 verses about encouragement, in the King James Version

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:6
And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Isaiah 40:29
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalms 27:14
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalms 31:24
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalms 42:11
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Psalms 55:22
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Philippians 1:6
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Bible verse to send someone who is discouraged?: Joshua 1:9 and Isaiah 41:10 are two of the most shared verses in the world, and for good reason: both tie courage to God's presence. For someone who is exhausted rather than afraid, Isaiah 40:31 or Matthew 11:28 fits better. Add a personal sentence about why you thought of them. The note matters almost as much as the verse.
Which verses help when I feel like giving up?: Galatians 6:9 speaks directly to that feeling, promising a harvest to people who keep going. Isaiah 40:29 and 2 Corinthians 4:16 both assume weariness and offer renewal rather than shame. Read one of them each morning for a week. Encouragement in Scripture works less like a single jolt and more like food, something you take in regularly.
How is biblical encouragement different from positive thinking?: Positive thinking asks you to generate confidence from inside yourself. Biblical encouragement points outside you, to a God who is present, faithful, and strong when you are not. That is why verses like Deuteronomy 31:6 give a reason for courage rather than just a command. The instruction to be strong always rests on a promise about God, not on your mood.