Sacred texts · Bible
29 Bible verses for strength
Bible verses about strength rarely describe strong people. They speak to people who are tired, who stumble or who can’t go on, and they place strength somewhere other than willpower: “my strength is made perfect in weakness,” reads 2 Corinthians 12:9. That is what makes them useful on days when you have nothing left.
This page gathers verses for renewed strength, for accepting weakness, for leaning on God as a rock and for holding on over time. They are quoted word for word from the King James Version and come from the Selfia app. You will find the classics, such as Isaiah 40:31 and Philippians 4:13, and less familiar passages, like the angel telling an exhausted Elijah, “Arise and eat.”
Bible verses for strength when you are tired
Here, tiredness isn’t failure. Isaiah promises renewed strength to those who wait upon the Lord, and Elijah is given bread and sleep before any new task. These verses invite you to recover your strength without guilt.
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.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
For the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee.
In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Strength in weakness: Philippians 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 12:9
“I can do all things through Christ” is often quoted like a success slogan. In the letter, Paul writes it from prison, about learning to live in need as well as in plenty. These verses describe strength that is received, not strength you have to prove.
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
“The Lord is my strength”: verses about God as rock and refuge
Rock, shield, strong tower, refuge: the Bible often borrows images from mountains and fortresses to talk about safety. These verses work well as a short prayer, repeated in a moment of fear or fatigue.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.
For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Bible verses to be strong and stand firm
Standing firm doesn’t mean feeling nothing. These passages talk about staying on your feet, being tried like gold and rejoicing even when the harvest fails. They suit long seasons, when the effort has to last longer than you planned.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
If God be for us, who can be against us?
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
How to lean on these verses when you’re exhausted
When you are worn out, reading a lot asks too much. Keep a single verse, as short as possible, and repeat it with your breathing: half as you breathe in, half as you breathe out. “The Lord is my strength” fits easily into one breath. You can also put it on a sticky note where your day happens: your desk, the mirror, the dashboard.
At night, skip the list of what you didn’t manage. Read the verse again and name one thing you held onto today. That is often enough.
Frequently asked questions
What Bible verse gives strength?
Isaiah 40:31 comes up often: they that wait upon the Lord “shall renew their strength.” Philippians 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 12:9 speak of strength received in weakness. Psalm 28:7 opens with “The Lord is my strength and my shield.” Pick the one that matches the kind of tired you are today.
What does “I can do all things through Christ” really mean?
In Philippians 4, Paul has just explained that he learned to be content in need and in plenty. So the verse doesn’t promise success at everything; it says Paul can get through all those situations by a strength that isn’t his own. Read that way, it supports you more than it pressures you.
Which Bible translation is used here?
The King James Version, in the public domain in the United States and most countries. Each verse was compared word for word with an online edition before being published here, and its reference lets you find it in your own Bible. The French version of this page quotes the Louis Segond 1910.