50 Encouraging Bible Verses On Suffering

We often start out with high hopes and big dreams. 

After all, when we are younger life seems carefree and easy. But as we grow older, we begin to see the world for how it really is.  

Broken. Messy. Full of heartache. And tragic news.  

Sometimes it becomes too much to take.

We may find ourselves feeling angry or depressed. Frustrated and confused. That is how I felt after a chronic illness diagnosis. I couldn’t understand how this could be a part of God’s plan.  

And I began to wonder, “What does the Bible have to say about suffering?” 

In that hard season of wrestling, as I began to search through God’s Word I found a lot of encouragement in the scriptures. They brought me comfort, peace, and inspiration to keep going on my worst days battling poor health.  

And it is my prayer that by sharing these 50 bible verses on suffering with you, they will also inspire you to keep trying. To keep fighting. And to keep believing.  

Even if you have to believe for a long time. 

Bible verses on suffering and trials.

These verses remind us that while we will go through suffering and trials in life, they are not wasted. God uses everything for our good and His glory. To grow us up.

And to teach us to trust in Him always.  

1) “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

-1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT

2) “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”

-1 Peter 4:12-13 NLT

3) “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure gold.”

-Job 23:10 NLT

4) “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

-James 1:2-4 ESV

5) “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

-James 1:12 ESV

Bible verses on how suffering produces perseverance.

The following Bible verses encourage us to endure suffering. They remind us that our pain is working for our good. To help us learn how to persevere. To strengthen our faith and hope.

And to encourage us to hold tight to Christ and never let go.  

6) “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

-Romans 5:3-5 NLT

7) “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

-Philippians 4:13 NLT

8) “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”  

-Romans 12:12 NLT

9) “So let’s not grow tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

-Galatians 6:9 NLT

10) “Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

-Hebrews 10:36 NLT

11) “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

-Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

Bible verses on suffering and purpose.

God is good. Which means nothing evil ever comes from Him.  

But God does allow bad things to happen sometimes. We just have to trust that He has a plan. He knows more than we do. And He can work it all out for good.   

12) “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

-Romans 8:28 NLT

13) “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

-2 Corinthians 12:7-8 NLT

14) “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”  

-Genesis 50:20 NLT

15) “And I am certain that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

-Philippians 4:6 NLT

16) “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

-Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Bible verses about pain and suffering.

When things are going well and we can handle life in our own strength, it is easy to find ourselves complacent about our walk with God.  

But when life gets hard, like when we have to learn how to cope with a difficult health condition, that is when we cry out to our Savior because we know we cannot make it on our own. We know we do not have the strength to get through it. And we know how desperately we need Him to help us.  

Our moments of suffering have the capability of causing us to draw near to God. And there is no better place to be.  

17) “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

-2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT

18) “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

-Romans 8:35, 37 NLT

19) “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

-Romans 8:38-39 NLT

20) “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” 

-Isaiah 43:2 NLT

21) “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

-Isaiah 41:10 NLT

22) “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

-John 16:33 NLT

23) “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

-John 14:27 NLT

24) “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

-Matthew 5:4 NLT

25) “The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.”

-Deuteronomy 33:27a NLT

26) “…Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

-Joshua 1:9 NLT

27) “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

-Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

28) “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.”

-Isaiah 40:31 NLT

Bible verses about suffering and hope.

When we are in a hard season of suffering, we are not without hope. The God who loves us is with us. And He will make everything right someday.  

29) “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

-Romans 15:13 NLT

30) “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.”

-Jeremiah 17:7 NLT

31) “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”

-Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

32) “We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)”

-Romans 8:24-25 NLT

33) “. . . Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.”

-Hebrews 6:18-19a NLT

34) “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

-Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Bible verses about suffering being temporary.

You may be in a long season of suffering. But it will all be worth it in the end when we fall into the arms of Jesus as we enter Heaven.  

These scriptures on suffering for a little while remind us that tears have only been assigned to this lifetime.

And someday Jesus will wipe away every single one of them from our eyes!  

35) “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond 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 4:16-18 ESV

36) “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”

-1 Peter 5:10 NLT

37) “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.”

-John 10:28 NLT

38) “Yet God has made everything beautiful in its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

-Ecclessiastes 3:11 NLT

39) “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

-Romans 8:18 NLT

40) “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

-Revelation 21:4 NLT

Bible Verses about how God comforts us in the midst of suffering.

The Psalms are a great place to turn for encouragement during our seasons of suffering. They are full of blunt honesty and confident hope. 

Reading through them reminds us that we can be honest with God about how we are feeling. And as we pour out our hearts to Him in prayer, we are reminded that no matter what happens, He is our blessed hope.

41) “The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”

-Psalm 9:9 NLT

42) “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

-Psalm 18:2 NLT

43) “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”

-Psalm 23:4a NLT

44) “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” 

-Psalm 27:13-14 NLT

45) “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”  

-Psalm 30:5b NLT

46) “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”

-Psalm 33:20-22 NLT

47) “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

-Psalm 34:17-18 NLT

48) “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!”

-Psalms 42:11 NLT

49) “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.”

-Psalm 62:1-2 NLT

50) “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

_Psalm 73:26 NLT

The Truth About Suffering

Life isn’t easy.  

But when the nights are long and the days are dreary, you can turn to any one of these 50 Bible verses on suffering to remind yourself of a few very important truths: 

• God is with you. 
• God loves you. 
• And God will work it all out for your good.

No matter what you face, keep turning to God in your seasons of suffering and pain. He is the One who can comfort you, carry you, and sustain you as you walk into the future He has planned for you.  

Keep going. Keep trusting. And keep believing.

If you found this encouraging, then please share! 

Check these out:

• 26 Motivating Bible Verses on Prayer and Faith
• 35 Comforting Bible Verses on Healing and Strength
• Coping with Chronic Illness: 7 Ways to Thrive