75 Bible Verses about discouragement

"Why does God give light to one who is in misery, and life to those whose soul is bitter, to those who wait for death that does not come, and search for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice even to jubilation, and are exultant when they find the grave?read more.
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? For my sighing comes in place of my food, and my groanings flow forth like water. For the very thing I dreaded has happened to me, and what I feared has come upon me. I have no ease, I have no quietness; I cannot rest; turmoil has come upon me."

Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, but the people became impatient along the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we detest this worthless food."

Now before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof. She said to the men, "I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. We are absolutely terrified of you, and all who live in the land are cringing before you. For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan.read more.
When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below!

Then the Philistine said, "I defy Israel's troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight each other!" When Saul and all the Israelites heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.

Look, he has placed the land in front of you! Go up, take possession of it, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!"

I repeat, be strong and brave! Don't be afraid and don't panic, for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do."

For evil does not come up from the dust, nor does trouble spring up from the ground, but people are born to trouble, as surely as the sparks fly upward.

A psalm of David, written to get God's attention. O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger! Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! For your arrows pierce me, and your hand presses me down. My whole body is sick because of your judgment; I am deprived of health because of my sin.read more.
For my sins overwhelm me; like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear. My wounds are infected and starting to smell, because of my foolish sins. I am dazed and completely humiliated; all day long I walk around mourning. For I am overcome with shame and my whole body is sick. I am numb with pain and severely battered; I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel. O Lord, you understand my heart's desire; my groaning is not hidden from you. My heart beats quickly; my strength leaves me; I can hardly see. Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; my neighbors stand far away. Those who seek my life try to entrap me; those who want to harm me speak destructive words; all day long they say deceitful things. But I am like a deaf man -- I hear nothing; I am like a mute who cannot speak. I am like a man who cannot hear and is incapable of arguing his defense.

David said to Saul, "Don't let anyone be discouraged. Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!"

A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will faithfully make just decrees. He will not grow dim or be crushed before establishing justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait in anticipation for his decrees."

so I myself will laugh when disaster strikes you, I will mock when what you dread comes, when what you dread comes like a whirlwind, and disaster strikes you like a devastating storm, when distressing trouble comes on you.

But as God's servants, we have commended ourselves in every way, with great endurance, in persecutions, in difficulties, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in hunger, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love,read more.
by truthful teaching, by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet -- see! -- we continue to live; as those who are scourged and yet not executed; as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

I have received a distressing message: "The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!" For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see. My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me terror.

"Be strong and brave! Don't be afraid and don't panic because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him! We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him.

As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.

You have said, "I feel so hopeless! For the Lord has added sorrow to my suffering. I am worn out from groaning. I can't find any rest."'"

Do not lose your courage or become afraid because of the reports that are heard in the land. For a report will come in one year. Another report will follow it in the next. There will be violence in the land with ruler fighting against ruler."

When they ask you, 'Why are you groaning?' you will reply, 'Because of the report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be limp; everyone will faint and every knee will be wet with urine.' Pay attention -- it is coming and it will happen, declares the sovereign Lord."

Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart.

Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

For the household gods have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they have no shepherd.

"Do not let your hearts be distressed. You believe in God; believe also in me.

I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.

Your wise men will be put to shame. They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what wisdom do they really have?

Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention. I am depressed, so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan, from Hermon, from Mount Mizar. One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls; all your billows and waves overwhelm me.read more.
By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, and by night he gives me a song, a prayer to the living God. I will pray to God, my high ridge: "Why do you ignore me? Why must I walk around mourning because my enemies oppress me?" My enemies' taunts cut into me to the bone, as they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul replied, "I am terribly troubled! The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He does not answer me -- not by the prophets nor by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what I should do." Samuel said, "Why are you asking me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy? The Lord has done exactly as I prophesied! The Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David!read more.
Since you did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this thing to you today.

For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor. So we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and he heard us and saw our humiliation, toil, and oppression.

Distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him like a king ready to launch an attack, for he stretches out his hand against God, and vaunts himself against the Almighty,

You, however, be self-controlled in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist's work, fulfill your ministry.

In my distress I called to the Lord; I called to my God. From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!read more.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I will bring distress on the people and they will stumble like blind men, for they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dirt; their flesh will be scattered like manure.

If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will hear and deliver us.'

Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!"

"So now, our God -- the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity -- do not regard as inconsequential all the hardship that has befallen us -- our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people -- from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day!

David said to his son Solomon: "Be strong and brave! Do it! Don't be afraid and don't panic! For the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you or abandon you before all the work for the service of the Lord's temple is finished.

Have mercy on me, for I am in distress! My eyes grow dim from suffering. I have lost my strength. For my life nears its end in pain; my years draw to a close as I groan. My strength fails me because of my sin, and my bones become brittle. Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; my neighbors are appalled by my suffering -- those who know me are horrified by my condition; those who see me in the street run away from me.read more.
I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar.

The Lord was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies' attacks. Whenever they went out to fight, the Lord did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly.

He said: "Pay attention, all you people of Judah, residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: 'Don't be afraid and don't panic because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God's.

Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp, I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. O sovereign master, I am oppressed; help me!

O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline.

The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged.

Then I said, "There is no cure for my grief! I am sick at heart! I hear my dear people crying out throughout the length and breadth of the land. They are crying, 'Is the Lord no longer in Zion? Is her divine King no longer there?'" The Lord answers, "Why then do they provoke me to anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?"

A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. But those who wait for the Lord's help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.

Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish and said, "I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer.

The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners,

Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and hard labor.

When Ish-bosheth the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened, and all Israel was afraid.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,

Then the local people began to discourage the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building.

So I, the Lord, tell you not to be afraid, you descendants of Jacob, my servants. Do not be terrified, people of Israel. For I will rescue you and your descendants from a faraway land where you are captives. The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace. They will be secure and no one will terrify them.

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage -- I have conquered the world."

But now the same thing comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are terrified.

But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.

A joyful heart makes the face cheerful, but by a painful heart the spirit is broken.

A person's spirit sustains him through sickness -- but who can bear a crushed spirit?

What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage by describing people who are more numerous and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven itself! Moreover, they said they saw Anakites there."

Why do you frustrate the intent of the Israelites to cross over into the land which the Lord has given them?

For he never bothered to show kindness; he harassed the oppressed and needy, and killed the disheartened.

"Therefore I conclude that we should not cause extra difficulty for those among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become disheartened.

Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment.

"To the one in despair, kindness should come from his friend even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

My heart is crushed because my dear people are being crushed. I go about crying and grieving. I am overwhelmed with dismay.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.