You’re running on empty. The crisis that was supposed to be temporary has stretched into months, maybe years. You’ve been strong for everyone else, held it together when you wanted to fall apart, and pushed through when quitting felt like the only option left.
But the tank is dry now. You don’t have another pep talk left in you, another deep breath to steady yourself, or another ounce of willpower to keep going. The strength you’ve relied on has simply run out.
Hard times expose the limits of human strength, and that’s actually where the gospel meets us. The Bible doesn’t promise that following God means avoiding difficulty or that faith gives you superhuman powers to handle everything alone.
It promises something better: that when your strength fails, God’s doesn’t. His power shows up most clearly in our weakness, His grace proves sufficient when our resources are exhausted, and His presence sustains us when we’re too tired to take another step on our own.
These verses remind us that divine strength isn’t about mustering more willpower but about learning to lean hard on the God who never grows weary and whose power is made perfect in our weakness.
Bible Verses About Strength in Hard Times
1. Isaiah 41:10 – Do Not Fear, for I Am with You
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 you with my righteous right hand.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Philippians 4:13 – I Can Do All Things Through Christ
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Psalm 46:1 – God Is Our Refuge and Strength
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Isaiah 40:31 – Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – My Grace Is Sufficient for You
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Nehemiah 8:10 – The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength
Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Psalm 73:26 – My Flesh and My Heart May Fail
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Exodus 15:2 – The Lord Is My Strength and My Song
The LORD is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Psalm 18:1-2 – The Lord Is My Rock
I love you, GOD—you make me strong. GOD is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.
The Message (MSG)
10. Isaiah 40:29 – He Gives Strength to the Weary
He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Psalm 28:7 – The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
New English Translation (NET)
12. Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be Strong and Courageous
Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Joshua 1:9 – Be Strong and Courageous
I tell you that you must be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, and don’t worry! I am the LORD your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Psalm 59:16-17 – You Are My Strength
But I will sing about your strength. In the morning I will sing about your love. You are like a fort to me. You keep me safe in times of trouble. You give me strength. I sing praise to you. God, you are like a fort to me. You are my God, and I can depend on you.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
15. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 – The Lord Is Faithful
But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
New King James Version (NKJV)
16. Ephesians 6:10 – Be Strong in the Lord
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
New International Version (NIV)
17. Psalm 18:32 – It Is God Who Arms Me with Strength
It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way blameless.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18. 1 Chronicles 16:11 – Look to the Lord and His Strength
Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
New King James Version (NKJV)
19. Habakkuk 3:19 – The Sovereign Lord Is My Strength
The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
New Living Translation (NLT)
20. Psalm 27:1 – The Lord Is the Stronghold of My Life
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread?
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
21. Isaiah 12:2 – God Is My Salvation
Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
22. 2 Samuel 22:33 – God Is My Strong Refuge
God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
King James Version (KJV)
23. Colossians 1:11 – Strengthened with All Power
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
24. Psalm 29:11 – The Lord Gives Strength to His People
GOD makes his people strong. GOD gives his people peace.
The Message (MSG)
25. Psalm 118:14 – The Lord Is My Strength and My Defense
The Lord is my Strength and my Song, and He has become my Salvation.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
26. Joel 3:10 – Let the Weak Say, ‘I Am Strong’
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, “I am strong.”
New English Translation (NET)
27. Psalm 138:3 – When I Called, You Answered Me
On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
28. Zechariah 10:12 – I Will Strengthen Them in the Lord
The LORD will make his people strong, and they will follow and obey him. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
29. Romans 8:37 – We Are More Than Conquerors
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
New International Version (NIV)
30. Psalm 84:5 – Blessed Are Those Whose Strength Is in You
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
English Standard Version (ESV)
31. 1 Corinthians 16:13 – Be on Your Guard; Stand Firm
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
New King James Version (NKJV)
32. Psalm 105:4 – Look to the Lord and His Strength
Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
New Living Translation (NLT)
33. Ephesians 3:16 – Strengthened with Power
I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
34. Psalm 147:5 – Great Is Our Lord and Mighty in Power
Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
35. Isaiah 26:4 – Trust in the Lord Forever
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.
King James Version (KJV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Strength in Hard Times
Scripture consistently teaches that God’s strength becomes most evident in our weakness. This isn’t just a theological theory but a practical reality. When we reach the end of ourselves, we finally stop trying to manufacture strength through willpower and start depending on the God who never runs out of resources. His power doesn’t just supplement our efforts but works most effectively when we acknowledge our limitations and lean fully on Him.
What challenges me about biblical strength is how counterintuitive it is. The world tells us to dig deeper, try harder, and never show weakness. Scripture invites us to acknowledge our weakness so we can access supernatural strength. Paul boasted in his weaknesses because they created space for Christ’s power to rest on him. That’s radically different from self-help positivity or pretending we’re fine when we’re not.
The most encouraging truth is that God doesn’t despise our weakness or criticize us for running out of strength. Instead, He promises to be our strength when ours fails, to carry us when we can’t walk, and to sustain us through every trial. His strength isn’t based on our performance but flows from His unchanging nature. When hard times drain every ounce of energy we have, His strength remains constant and available.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I’ve reached the end of my strength. I’ve tried to be strong, to hold everything together, to keep pushing through, but I have nothing left. The challenges I’m facing feel heavier than I can bear, and I’m exhausted from trying to carry them on my own. I need Your strength because mine has completely run out.
Thank You that Your power is made perfect in my weakness. Help me to stop trying to manufacture strength I don’t have and instead learn to depend completely on You. When I feel like giving up, remind me that You are my refuge and strength. When the weight feels unbearable, carry what I cannot.
Renew my strength as I wait on You. Help me to trust that You will sustain me through this hard season, that Your grace is sufficient for each day, and that Your presence goes with me through every difficulty. Let me experience Your strength in ways I never could when I was relying on my own.
Thank You that I don’t have to be strong enough on my own because You are always strong enough for both of us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.