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35 Bible verses about hope
In the Bible, hope isn’t surface optimism. It is often born in the middle of hardship: “tribulation worketh patience,” Paul writes, and patience leads on to hope (Romans 5:3-4). Bible verses about hope speak of a promised future, a waiting that means something, and a light that breaks through the dark.
This page groups them in four parts: a hope that does not disappoint, a future and a fresh start, waiting with patience, and light in the darkness. They are quoted word for word from the King James Version and come from the Selfia app. Jeremiah 29:11 is here too, often read as a personal promise; in context it is first addressed to a people in exile, which takes nothing away from it.
Bible verses about a hope that does not disappoint
“Hope maketh not ashamed,” Paul writes. These verses compare hope to an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, and tie it to joy and peace. They suit days when the future feels shut.
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.
We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.
Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
A future and a fresh start: Jeremiah 29:11 and more
A tree cut down that sprouts again, years restored, new things springing up: these verses are about beginning again. They speak to anyone who feels their story has come to a stop.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing.
Behold, I make all things new.
For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.
Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope.
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Bible verses about waiting with patience
Many verses about hope are really verses about waiting. They compare patience to a farmer waiting for the rain, and say that it is good to wait quietly, even when the answer is slow to come.
Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Light in the darkness: Bible verses of hope
Light is one of the Bible’s favorite pictures of hope: a people that walked in darkness sees a great light, a lamp shines on the path. These verses are good to read at night or in the long weeks of winter.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
How to hold on to hope with these verses
Hope is something you practice over time. Choose a verse from the second or fourth section and write it at the top of a page. Underneath, note each day one small sign of life you noticed: a conversation, a break in the clouds, a step taken despite being tired. After a week, the list often tells a different story than your mood.
If you are waiting for an answer, a result or a decision, the third section can keep you company. Read the same verse every morning while you wait instead of switching: repetition steadies you.
Frequently asked questions
What Bible verse gives hope?
Jeremiah 29:11 is shared often: “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Romans 15:13 prays that you be filled with joy and peace. Lamentations 3:24, written after the fall of Jerusalem, says simply: “therefore will I hope in him.”
What is the difference between hope and wishful thinking?
Wishful thinking hopes a situation will work out. In Christian tradition, hope is one of the three virtues Paul names alongside faith and charity in 1 Corinthians 13:13: a trust directed toward God that can live alongside a situation that doesn’t improve. That is why it shows up so often in verses about suffering.
What does Jeremiah 29:11 mean in context?
Jeremiah is writing to Israelites deported to Babylon, telling them the exile will last a long time, seventy years. The verse promises this people a future beyond the trial, not instant success. Many readers also hear it as a personal word, while keeping that patience in mind.