There is no denying that life is difficult. This is exactly why you have stumbled upon this post. You need encouragement, peace, and strength. Grab a cup of your favorite warm drink and may your heart be encouraged as we study the question “what does the Bible say about hope?”

You stand beside your daughter’s grave or hold the hand of your dying mother; you lose your job and the financial security you once had vanishes; the giants of insecurity, fear, and doubt stand in your path; chronic illness strips you of the life you once enjoyed.

Hope remains the last thing you cling to. I have clung to hope through the very darkest of days and felt the need to put it all together. Bible verses about hope is a series I’ve written with the desire to not only encourage you but also to give you a reference for those days you need it most.

What Does the Bible Tell Us About Hope?

I have organized Bible verses about hope into the following topics:

• hope and faith
• hope in hard times
• hope and love
• hope and healing

Many of these verses could fit into more than one category, but I attempted to not repeat verses, with the exception of Jeremiah 29:11. Also, most of these verses do not actually contain the word hope but are reminders of who God is and what He does for us.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

To launch the series, I included a couple of versese for each topic in this first post to give you a feel for what is to come. My prayer is that these verses encourage you where you are and that you save them for times when life leaves you struggling.

I must confess that this series has been good for my own faith. Reading how God repeatedly desires to encourage us and strengthen us, is nothing short of humbling and beautiful and amazing. May your hearts be filled with this same feeling of awe and wonder at the incredible God we serve.

Hope and Faith

For Bible verses about hope and faith, I leaned toward faith in the context of believing that God is always near.

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You Because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV)

I must believe that there is such a thing as “perfect peace” because it says it right here. However, if you were to take a peek into the chaos I call thoughts, you would know that I am far from it.

Why? Because my mind is not focused on God. I am focused on the worries and anxieties of life. Pretty much the opposite of what Isaiah was trying to say. The Titus Woman has a great post about “How to Give it to God and Let it Go”.

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

What does the Bible Say about Hope in Hard Times?

The number of Bible verses about hope in hard times is nothing short of amazing. God knew that we would suffer under the curse of sin and provided encouragement continually through His word.

Hard times look different for each of us, but what impresses me is that God never intended for us to do it alone. Not only has He promised to never leave us, but He has instructed us to bear each other’s burdens.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

What gives us hope in hard times?

• God is always with us.
• God is working all things for our good (Romans 8:28)
• God loves us.
• God has provided a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josuah 1:9)

Hope and Love

Bible verses about hope and love include verses that not only mention God’s love but show God’s love toward us. Technically, the entire Bible shows God’s love for us, the very story of redemption.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know ]us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (John 3:1-3)

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

Hope and Healing

The word healing often brings to mind physical healing, but I want to include various forms of healing. Emotional and mental healing, healing from grief and loss, and healing from physical pain and suffering are what I had in mind when I chose Bible verses about hope and healing.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19)

David nailed it when he said “many are the afflictions”! Everytime I think I have it under control, something else happens. BUT do you see the hope in this verse? “The Lord delivers him out of them all”. Not just some, but ALL! Because that is the kind of God we serve.

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Be sure to also check out “5 Inspiring Bible Stories about Healing Body, Mind, and Heart”.

Examples of Hope in the Bible

I suppose I should’ve put this at the beginning of the post, but what is hope anyway?

By definition hope means:

• A feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen.
• A feeling of trust.

When we think about examples of hope in the Bible who comes to mind?

Abraham

The story of Abraham is unique in so many ways. He “meets” the one true God and is called away from the sin and idolatry of the present world.

God promises to make of him a great nation. Says his descendants will be like the sand at the shore and the stars in the night sky.

The only problem is that God has not given Abraham a son. His wife, Sarah, is barren. (Read more about her in Waiting on the Lord: Lessons from Sarah). What a test of faith! Did Abraham lose hope? He sure did-twice.

First, he suggests to God that his faithful servant Eliazar be his heir, but that is not what God had in mind.

Then he goes along with Sarah’s hairbrained idea and takes control of the situation by using her servant Hagar to bring an heir into the world instead of Sarah. This was not what God had planned and after 30 years of waiting, God blesses Abraham with a promise fulfilled, Isaac.

Joseph

Imagine being your father’s favorite out of 12 sons. You are not forced ot work in the fields like your brothers, your father gives you special gifts, and not only that but God gives you dreams about them bowing to you.

All of this breeds jealousy and you find yourself as a slave in an Egyptian home. A much, much different situation from which you had previously.

Joseph endures years of slavery, false accusations, and imprisonment. A hopeless situation for sure. Does he turn his back on God? No. He remains faithful, hopeful, resilient.

The dreams are fulfilled as Joseph is brought to the position of the second most important ruler in Egypt.

What Does the Bible Say about Hope?

So, I ask you, what does the Bible say about hope? Which of these verses speaks to you?

Stay tuned for the rest of this series on Bible verses about hope. The promises the Bible contains is something we need to embrace and claim as our own.