31 Bible Verses About Hope to Encourage You Through Life Struggles
We all go through times of hardship and struggle. Having a firm foundation in hope can keep you going when nothing else does. We’ve put together these Bible verses about hope to encourage and strengthen you to press on.
Bible Verses About Hope
At Finally Family Homes we’re all about encouraging others in hope. For kids who are aging out of foster care, life can look hopeless. After a traumatic childhood, they are looking at a future without a forever family and where the odds are stacked against them. But many of those who have risen to have happy successful lives say that having hope and faith was essential to their success.
As John Maxwell put it, “Where there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.” It is those who were able to find hope for the future that had the strength and empowerment to succeed in the present.
So let’s look into what can bring hope, so that you too, can tap into the power and strength that hope provides in the present.
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How the Bible Defines Hope
What is hope? Hope is defined as a feeling, desire, or wish for something to happen. It has an element of trust. Hope is uncertain by the world’s definition.
The Bible defines hope differently.
Biblical Hope is forward-looking faith. It is a confident belief, based not on things experienced, but on the word of God that the future He says will happen. Hope is a future certainty that gives you joy, peace, and patience in the present. That’s what the following hope Bible verses.
What the Bible Says About Hope
Romans 8:24-25, ESV says, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Scripture tells us hope brings joy.
“We rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2, ESV).
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
Unlike worldly hope, biblical hope is not based on your effort or desires, it is something received. The God of hope pours hope into you through the Holy Spirit.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope”( Romans 15:13).
The Ancient Greek Word for Hope
The ancient Greek word for hope is elpo. The meaning of elpo is to anticipate or welcome – the expectation of what is certain. It is used in the Bible 53 times. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says “that in which one confides or to which he flees for refuge.” In other words, it is what you turn to for comfort in life’s struggles.
What the Bible Says About Life Struggles
Just because you believe in God doesn’t mean you won’t struggle. We are not spared from trials or life struggles. To struggle is a part of life and scripture doesn’t ignore that truth. We are not “blissfully ignorant.” Here’s what scripture has to say about life struggles.
Struggle is Normal
Everyone struggles. Scripture tells us not to be surprised or ashamed when we face trials and struggles.
Peter struggled.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed… Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” I Peter 4:12-13, 16 (ESV)
Paul struggled.
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, ESV).
Even Jesus struggled.
You can be comforted by knowing that you are not alone when you struggle. When you struggle you share in Christ’s suffering, and he can empathize with whatever you are going through.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV).
Struggle is Temporary
There is no problem that lasts forever. Our struggles and pain will end, but eternal things like faith, hope, and love will endure.
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (I Peter 5:10).
In the end, we know that Christ wins and we win with him. Every kind of struggle will end. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4, ESV).
Struggle Produces Hope
Paul found hope in this truth. He said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
Notice that he doesn’t compare himself to others. He doesn’t say “I’m suffering, but that guy has it worse… or better.” Rather, he compares his sufferings to a future hope. Actually, he’s saying the future hope is so much bigger and better than his current suffering that it’s not even worth comparing them.
In fact, earlier in Romans he shares a powerful scripture on hope. He says that struggles are a reason to be happy because we know it produces hope.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5, ESV).
Bible Verses for Encouragement
Although you may struggle in the present, you will be blessed if you put your focus on the infinite hope you have. As Martin Luther King Jr said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
You can keep up infinite hope by focusing on the encouraging scriptures that remind you that you have a reason to hope! What does the Bible say about hope in hard times? Read on to find out.
Hope in God gives you the strength to endure.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31, NIV).
In Jesus, you have hope for a future that can’t be lost or spoiled.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (I Peter 1:3-6 ESV).
God knows about your struggles and He cares.
“But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish” (Psalm 9:18, NIV).
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15, NIV).
Printable Hope Verses
Get our hope scripture cards and bible verses of hope coloring pages on Etsy! 100% of the proceeds go to bringing hope to foster youth who never got a forever family.
Hope and Faith Bible Verses
Faith and hope are fairly similar and paired throughout scripture. So, what’s the relationship between faith and hope? What are some bible verses about hope and faith?
According to scripture, faith and hope are runners-up to God’s greatest eternal treasure, love.|
“Faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13, ESV).
Jesus is the gateway for us to have faith and hope in God.
“Through [Jesus] you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (I Peter 1:21, NIV).
And through faith in Jesus, we have hope, the confident assurance, that we can enter God’s presence without fear.
“In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God's presence with boldness and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12, NIV).
And why do you not need to fear God’s judgment? Because your current faith that you have been made righteous in Jesus gives you the confidence to face the future before God.
“For through the Spirit, we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (Galatians 5:5, NIV).
Faith is having confidence that you have placed your hope in the right place.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV).
The right place to put our hope is not in our retirement plans or savings accounts but in God.
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (I Timothy 6:17).
When life is hard, fight to hold on to hope. Let your faith in who God is and what He says to keep you firmly rooted. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).
When life’s struggles and storms toss you about, set hope as your anchor. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19, NIV).
If you are stressed out, meditate on scriptures about hope.
We’ll leave you with this final Bible verse about hope as a blessing.
“'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, NIV).
Get Free Printable Bible Verses About Hope
Want to know more about our mission of hope?
Join our monthly emails as we share how we are spreading love and hope to kids aging out of foster care and you'll get a Free 30-day Bible Reading Plan with a Bible verse about hope for each day. It's perfect for the month of June.
Read About our Mission to Build Hope and a Future for Aging Out Foster Youth
Learn About The Struggles Aging Out Foster Youth Face
Read what it means to us to be a Faith-Based Organization
Need some more encouragement?
We hope you found some encouragement from the scriptures about hope above. What's your favorite scripture on hope? If you'd like even more encouragement from the Bible and from others:
Read 12 Bible Verses that Remind You That God Cares
Read these Inspirational Stories of Hope & Overcoming Great Obstacles.
