Bible verses about strength — for when you feel weak
The best-known Bible verses about strength are Isaiah 41:10 (“I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee”), Isaiah 40:31 (“they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength”), 2 Corinthians 12:9 (“my strength is made perfect in weakness”), Psalm 46:1, Joshua 1:9 and Philippians 4:13. Most of them were written to people who felt they had none left.
When you feel you have nothing left
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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.
Why it fits: Isaiah says plainly that even the young get tired and fall. The promise is not that you will never be weak, but that strength is renewed — the Hebrew word means to exchange, as you would change clothes.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Why it fits: Paul asked three times for his “thorn in the flesh” to be removed (12:8). It wasn't. What he was given instead was this sentence — and he decided he would rather boast about his weakness than hide it.
Strength in hard times
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Why it fits: written to a people in exile who had lost their land and their temple. Count the promises: I am with you, I am your God, I will strengthen, I will help, I will uphold.
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Why it fits: David sang this “in the day that the LORD delivered him” from his enemies. Rock, fortress, deliverer, high tower — places to run to that don't move. Psalm 46 opens the same way: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Philippians 4:13, in context
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
“I can do all things” is often printed on its own, on mugs and on sports jerseys. Read with the two verses before it, the verse is about being hungry and being full, having nothing and having enough — and staying content in both. It is a verse about endurance, written from a prison, by a man who did not know whether he would be released.
Strength to be brave
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Both come at a handover: Moses to all Israel (and then to Joshua, 31:7), and God to Joshua after Moses dies. God says it three times (1:6, 7, 9), and the people say it back to him a fourth (1:18) — because Joshua needed to hear it more than once.
Short verses about strength
Short enough to remember, write on a card, or keep on your Lock Screen:
- Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10
- God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 2 Samuel 22:33
- The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. Psalm 118:14
- The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10
- They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. Psalm 84:7
- The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. Psalm 145:14
For your Lock Screen
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10King James Version
More from the Strength reading
These verses are part of the Strength reading in Plain Scripture, chosen one by one by a person:
Questions people ask
What is the most powerful Bible verse about strength?
Many people would name Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” It promises strength, help and support in one sentence.
What does Philippians 4:13 really mean?
Paul wrote “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” while in prison, right after saying he had learned to be content both hungry and full (Philippians 4:11–12). In context it is about enduring every circumstance, not about winning every contest.
What Bible verse says God's strength is made perfect in weakness?
2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul had asked three times for a “thorn in the flesh” to be taken away; this was the answer he received instead.
Is “the joy of the LORD is your strength” in the Bible?
Yes, Nehemiah 8:10. It was said to people who were weeping after hearing the law read aloud: “neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
What is a short Bible verse about strength?
Ephesians 6:10 — “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” — or Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Both fit on a Lock Screen.