Everyone experiences hardships in life, but the Bible is full of verses that provide hope and comfort during those difficult times. From Philippians 4:13, we read, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In Romans 8:28, we read “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, we read, “Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Each of these verses are powerful reminders that no matter what we are going through, God is always by our side and He will use our trials and tribulations to bring glory to His name. We shall look deep into scriptures that talks on hardship in this blog post.
Biblical Hardship
The phrase “hardship” is mentioned 28 times throughout the Bible. For instance, Deuteronomy 8:2-3 states, “You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Here, hardship is a direct result of God testing the Israelites. Similarly, in Romans 5:3-4, Paul writes, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” This verse speaks of hardship as a means of producing spiritual growth.
Spiritual Hardship
Although the Bible offers many verses on spiritual hardship, here are five that provide comfort and encourage hope:
- “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
- “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
- “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
- “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” (Psalm 28:7)
- “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:29)
Emotional Hardship
There are many Bible verses that speak to emotional hardship and its various forms. Here are a few:
• “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” (Psalm 31:24)
• “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
• “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.” (John 14:27)
• “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
• “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:5)
• “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)
• “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
• “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
Mental Hardship
The Bible is filled with verses that address mental distress and offer words of comfort and hope. Here are some of the most powerful:
- “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
- “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.” – Jeremiah 29:11
- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:28-29
- “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1
- “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4
- “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” – Psalm 55:22
Personal Hardship
The Bible is a rich trove of scripture that speaks to the many hardships each of us can face in our lifetime. Here are a few verses to help you navigate personal hardships:
- 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
- Psalm 37:25 – “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
- Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
- Romans 8:28 – “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.”
- Isaiah 40:30-31 – “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
- James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Mental Hardship
Here are some verses in the Bible that mention social hardship:
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15: “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brethren or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
- James 2:1-7: My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
- John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
- Matthew 25:31-46: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
These are just some of the verses in the Bible that talk about social hardship. There are many more, so be sure to look them up and read them in their full context.
Financial Hardship
The Bible contains many verses on the subject of financial hardship. Here are a few examples:
Matthew 6:25-34: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Deuteronomy 15:7-8: “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.
2 Corinthians 8:13-15: Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.
Proverbs 22:7: The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Physical Hardship
The Bible has many passages that focus on physical hardship, and many of them offer comfort and hope in times of difficulty.
Here are some of those verses:
Psalm 34:17-19: “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Conclusion
No matter how hard life may seem, there is hope in the words of Scripture. In the Bible, we are reminded that God is always with us, no matter what we are going through. We can find comfort in the truth that He is our strength, and He is our refuge in times of trouble. With faith in God, we can overcome any hardship. We can remember that He is faithful and that He will never leave us even in the most difficult moments. May we all find peace knowing that God is always with us and that He will never fail us.