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Hard times come for all of us, but we can always turn to the Bible verses about hope in hard times to help us through.
Hope and hard times sound like oil and water. They are not meant to mix. When the going gets tough, is it not easier to just lie down somewhere, curl up, and wait for it to pass? How do we keep our hope in hard times? How can we look life in the eye and still have the strength to stand? What are these Bible verses about hope in hard times?
What are Bible Verses about Hope in Hard Times
We may know that feeling well. Some might have felt like they were trapped in a narrow and dark tunnel, so long that the other side looks more like a mirage than anything. We might have felt like we were drowning, and there is no one there to save us.
“Hard times ” might be putting it lightly. What do we do as Christians in these circumstances? We strive to hold on to our faith and hope. Most importantly, we hold on to the Holy Spirit. We hold on to God and Bible verses about hope in hard times.
Bible verses about hope in hard times are the scriptures that God has given us to face the difficulties that overwhelm us. God gave His word to drive us away from our fear and show us the truth: that He is there for us. He says that the tunnel has an end and that we shall get there. God says that the water that overwhelms us can turn into something nourishing and encouraging. Bible verses about hope in hard times are the key given by God for us to triumph.
What Does the Bible Say About Faith and Hope in Hard Times?
Romans 5:3-5
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, 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.”
We have been taught that God has a purpose for everything. That means that hard times have their purpose too, right? It is not easy to see and accept at times because we are overwhelmed and busy fighting for our life. Still, it is the truth. Paul teaches us in Romans 5:3-5 that God does not delight in our suffering.
Yet, he says we should “glory” in our sufferings. Uhm…say what, Paul? Let us read on. Sufferings produce perseverance or endurance. Our endurance develops our strength of character. Once this happens, our hope is boosted. What is more, our hope in God will never be wasted.
People and the world, in general, might have put our hopes to shame once or twice. But that will never happen with God because God loves us so much. The Holy Spirit is also there for us always, filling our hearts with love.
What is the Connection Between Faith and Hope?
Faith
Faith is the firm belief in something or someone without the aid of logic or reason. It is the ability to believe in something unseen, something that cannot be proven by science. The kind of belief that does not ask for tangible proof. It is the belief in something in the present.
Hope
Hope is the positive outlook we have when we want something to happen. We may not have the certainty that it will happen in the future but we want it to happen with all our hearts. It enables us to live life and look into the future with positivity. It is our assurance of something in the future.
The connection between Hope and Faith
We might think that faith and hope are the same, but they are not. Still, it does not mean that they are not related. There is a direct connection or relationship between faith and hope. Faith is believing in something, and hope is waiting with assurance and positivity that what we believe in will happen.
For example, we believe in the eternal life promised by Jesus Christ. This is faith. Hope is the expectation for this to happen in the future. Faith is more involved with the present, while hope is more focused on the future.
In simple terms, we can say that faith is the foundation of hope, and hope is the nourishment and at the same time, the by-product of faith. We can hope in the Lord because we have faith in Him. On the other hand, our faith is fueled by the hope we have in God and God’s word.
How to Preserve Our Hope During Hard Times?
Turn to the Word of God
God is our refuge and strength. We can find solace and comfort in His words. There are so many people in the Bible like Job who have experienced trouble. Some of them experienced hard times because of their faith, or because they were trying to proclaim the truth. Some experienced difficult times because of their mistakes.
We will find Bible verses about hope in God’s word. He has given us everything we need in the Bible. comforts us. He has blessed the scripture to help us get through hard times with our hope and strength intact.
Admit that we need God
We can find a powerful verse in the scriptures. It is about a sick boy and his father. The boy was said to be possessed by a spirit that made him unable to speak. His father brought the boy to Jesus and His disciples. Jesus Christ became frustrated with the people because they lack faith.
The boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Jesus healed the boy. Sometimes, all it takes is for us to admit that we cannot do it on our own, that we need God. We need His help.
Ask for help
Help is not limited to God. We can ask for help from others. Also, we can go to those that believe in God, in His power, and in His love. We can gather in prayer. They can give us words of encouragement. They can help refresh our view of God’s peace, truth, grace, and glory.
Meditate
Reading the Bible is not the only way to connect with God. Meditating is not restricted in the scripture alone although it is very powerful. We can sing songs or read the Psalms. God has given us the privilege of connecting with Him anytime, anywhere. We are part of God’s family.
We can spend time with God through prayer. God loves to spend time with us, to hear from us. We can also find comfort in His presence. God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble.
Count your blessings
Sometimes, the best way to remind ourselves of God’s word, grace, and glory is to count our blessings. If God has done it in the past, He can do it now. We do not know the plans, the exact plans God has in store for us but looking at how God has worked in our lives in the past is encouraging. It might be the source of strength we badly need in times of trouble.
Be patient
God’s timing has never failed. That is the truth. Fear might hover around us, but we know that God loves us. Jesus Christ gave His life willingly for us. If He did this for us, what could stop Him from giving us whatever we need and desire?
We shall find peace and encouragement in God’s words and grace. So let us wait for the Lord. His righteous right hand will lift us. Let us pray, read the Word, seek the Holy Spirit, hold on to the truth, and wait upon the Lord. We will find hope and strength.
Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times
Depression
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
The peace that God gives does not depend on what is happening around us. Jesus once slept soundly in a boat while a storm was raging. God’s peace shall calm our fear no matter how scary things in our life get.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”
Christ loves us so much and is so great that nothing in this world can separate us from it. We have the assurance that the Lord loves us no matter what the world says and no matter what the world hurls at us. Through our Lord’s help, we can overcome the world.
“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.”
Overflow with hope! Can you imagine being so full of hope that it overflows? Let us claim this, and may our lives and hearts overflow with hope until they reach others who need it too.
Anxiety and Fear
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Anxieties and worries seem to be a constant part of our lives in this world. Peter reminds us that the Lord cares about us, and He is willing to carry our burdens and our anxieties for us.
“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
God gives us protection. When life throws too much at us, God will be there to shield us. Our life is precious to God. We can come to God, read the Bible, and find comfort in the fact that the Lord shall keep us safe.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
It is mind-blowing to know that God thinks of each one of us. The whole universe is under His care, and yet He always has time for us. Jeremiah 29:11 also tells us that God’s plan is all about our prosperity, our hope, and our future.
Financial troubles
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
We usually encounter this verse when we are looking for assurances that God will always be there for us, but this is actually, about God’s provisions in times of financial crises. We go through a lot in our life, but God is always there. God loves us, and God will provide for us.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
We do not have every material thing we want. But we can always count on God to give us everything we need, even the things we never thought we needed. Because of this, we can hold on to our hope and we can praise Him.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
This psalm testifies to God’s faithfulness. He does not abandon His children. There is no reason for us to fear.
Insecurities
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Our faith and our hope are intertwined. Nourishing one would nourish the other as well. God’s word makes this possible for us.
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.”
When we are experiencing difficult times, we might find it hard to focus on anything else, to look beyond what we are currently experiencing. But looking back to how God has been our refuge in the past and how He calmed our fear in the past can give us assurance for today.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Christ our Lord went through a lot of hard times when He was here on earth, but He leaves us with a promise. He says that we shall find hope in Him, hope in hard times.
Bible Verses About Hope and Strength From God
We can use these Bible verses to help us through hard times. Let us read these Bible verses about hope in hard times and find strength in God’s words for us.
1 Peter 1:3
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
We were in a hopeless place. Sin has sunk its claws deep into our lives. We were bound to die, but God saved us. Our salvation is our hope. 1 Peter 1:3 tells us that if God traded His life for ours, then we can be sure that His righteous right hand will rescue us, and His glory will be our refuge.
Romans 12:12
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Sounds easier said than done, right? But Paul was teaching the Romans then and us today the Christian way. Jesus did it, Paul did it, the Romans did it, and by God’s grace and mercy, we can too.
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.”
Isaiah 40:31 is a powerful promise. We all grow tired. We get tired of working, struggling, and suffering. Yet, we are promised that the Lord will renew our strength and we will never run out. We will not grow tired.
Titus 3:7
“So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
Being justified means being declared righteous. The Lord looked at us and our sins and says that we are made righteous now. We have hope in hard times because we know that God always sees the best in us. God’s love prevails.
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The book of Isaiah is long and quite grim, but we also read powerful and encouraging verses about hope like Isaiah 41:10, where God promises us His presence and His strength. God is our refuge.
1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 is famous because it describes love. But, it also mentions hope. Love, faith, and hope are necessary for us to keep fighting, and to keep our relationship with the Lord our God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians is Paul’s second letter to the believers in Corinth. He teaches them valuable lessons and gives important reminders. God’s love encourages us whenever we are in trouble.
Ephesians 3:16-19
“I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
God loves us beyond our imagination and comprehension. Paul prays that we grasp how great God’s love for us is. When we do, when we finally understand, we shall be able to live in Him and for Him.
Romans 5:1-2
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
God reconciled us to Him because He loves us so much. We are so blessed by this truth. Let us pray never to forget this and by the grace of the Lord our God, we overcome our fear and hopelessness through this truth.
Romans 8:25
“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
Hope is gladly and confidently looking forward to something in the future. It requires patience and trust. Hold on, keep going. Pray, read the scriptures, and we will find our hope in Christ. Paul reminds us here in Romans 8:25 that we have to be patient with God’s perfect timing.
Philippians 1:6
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
We might feel inadequate at times, and it might lead us to lose hope. Have faith that God is working in us, always making us better than we were yesterday. Let us trust that the Lord is working in our life.
Psalms 56:8
“Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll— are they not in your record?”
Another raw psalm. It is honest and transparent. We can be honest and transparent with God. Like the author of this psalm, we can pour our hearts out to God and He will listen. God will listen to our prayers, and He shall help us through hard times.
Psalms 39:7
“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”
This psalm is short, but it speaks the truth. No matter how hard things get, we can count on God to have our backs. We have hope in hard times because of Him. The Lord is a great source of encouragement.
In Summary
It is a great encouragement to know that the Lord safeguards our hope in hard times. Our Lord will always be there for us no matter what. How do we make sure to keep our hope in hard times? We have to make sure that the Lord is part of the equation.
The truth is, we are not alone. The Lord blessed us with people like our family and friends. He has blessed us with the Bible to guide us. The Lord sent Christ to teach us everything we need to know. Let us learn from the Bible verses about hope in hard times, and we know that we can overcome this.
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