When someone you love is going through a hard time, it can be hard to know what to say. For a friend who shares your faith, a Bible verse says a lot in a few lines. Write the verse, add a short note of your own, and let them know you are praying for them.
Below are 50 Bible verses of encouragement for cards, sorted by what the person is facing. Every verse is quoted from the New International Version (NIV).
Article contents
- How to Use a Bible Verse in an Encouragement Card
- Short Encouraging Bible Verses
- Bible Verses for Strength
- Bible Verses for Hard Times
- Bible Verses About Hope
- Bible Verses for Someone Who Is Sick
- Bible Verses for Anxiety and Worry
- Bible Verses for a New Start
- What to Write After the Verse
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Use a Bible Verse in an Encouragement Card
- Pick one verse. One verse that fits their situation means more than a long list.
- Write it at the top. Put the verse in quotation marks and the reference below it, such as Isaiah 41:10.
- Add a personal line. Tell them you are thinking of them, or why this verse made you think of them.
- Offer something specific. A call, a meal or a visit, if you can do it.
- Close and sign. "Praying for you," "With love" or "Blessings" all work.
Example: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) Dear Karen, I have been thinking of you all week. I'll call on Saturday, and I'm praying for you every day until then. Love, Beth
Short Encouraging Bible Verses
These short verses fit on any card with plenty of room left for a note.
- "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
- "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)
- "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." (Psalm 55:22)
- "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)
- "The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation." (Psalm 118:14)
- "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)
- "I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (Psalm 16:8)
- "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12)
- "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." (Psalm 31:24)
- "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." (Psalm 9:9)
Bible Verses for Strength
For someone facing surgery, a hard job, a move or a long season of caregiving.
- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
- "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." (Isaiah 41:10)
- "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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 40:29-31)
- "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)
- "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26)
- "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Psalm 18:2)
- "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." (1 Chronicles 16:11)
Bible Verses for Hard Times
For a friend who is grieving, struggling or just worn out.
- "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)
- "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
- "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
- "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
- "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
- "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)
- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)
- "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Bible Verses About Hope
For someone waiting on news, a diagnosis or a change that has not come yet.
- "'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)
- "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." (Jeremiah 17:7)
- "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)
- "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him." (Psalm 62:5)
- "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." (Micah 7:7)
- "May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you." (Psalm 33:22)
Bible Verses for Someone Who Is Sick
Pair one of these with a get well wish. For more wording, see our get well messages.
- "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." (3 John 1:2)
- "The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness." (Psalm 41:3)
- "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)
- "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." (Jeremiah 17:14)
- "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16)
- "He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave." (Psalm 107:20)
Bible Verses for Anxiety and Worry
For someone who is anxious about what is ahead.
- "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." (Isaiah 26:3)
- "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)
- "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)
- "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." (Psalm 94:19)
- "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
- "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7)
Bible Verses for a New Start
For a graduate, a new job, a new home or anyone starting over.
- "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19)
- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." (Proverbs 16:9)
- "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
- "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3)
- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
What to Write After the Verse
If you are not sure what to add, one of these lines will work under any verse above.
- This verse has carried me through some hard days. I hope it does the same for you.
- Praying for strength for you this week, and for a little rest too.
- You don't have to be strong all the time. God has you, and so do we.
- Holding you in my prayers as you start this new chapter.
- I wrote this verse on my bathroom mirror once. Now it's your turn.
- Whatever tomorrow brings, you won't face it alone.
- Praying for good news and a smooth recovery.
- Thinking of you and trusting that brighter days are coming.
For more ideas, see our thinking of you and encouragement messages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most encouraging Bible verse?
There is no single answer, but Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10 and Philippians 4:13 are among the most shared. Pick the one that fits what your friend is going through.
What Bible verse is good for someone going through a hard time?
Psalm 34:18, Psalm 23:4 and Matthew 11:28 are gentle choices. They speak to grief and weariness without asking the reader to feel better right away.
What Bible verse can I send to someone who is sick?
3 John 1:2 reads like a get well wish: "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you." Psalm 41:3 and Jeremiah 17:14 are also good choices.
How do I write a Bible verse in a card?
Write the verse in quotation marks with the reference below it, such as Psalm 46:1. Add NIV if you want to name the translation. Then add a line or two of your own.
Which Bible translation are these verses from?
All of the verses on this page are from the New International Version (NIV).
Cards for Your Encouragement Verses
Every Twigs Paper set is printed on 100% recycled paper and is blank inside, so there is room for a verse and a note.
- Christian Cross Greeting Cards: a cross design for encouragement, get well and sympathy notes.
- Christian Cross Thank You Cards: for thanking the people who encouraged you.
See all of our Christian greeting cards and thinking of you cards.
