8 Comforting Bible Verses for Trials and Tribulations
Are you walking through a difficult time in your life? No matter what you’re facing today, God wants to encourage your heart. He is with you, and he will never abandon you. Let’s take a look at eight comforting Bible verses for trials and tribulations.
I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you find hope in difficult times.
8 Comforting Bible Verses for Trials and Tribulations
The spring beauties are pushing white petals through the beige of last autumn’s fallen canopy, and I wonder if they’re some sort of sign. Would God really speak through the petals of a dime-sized white flower? In some quiet way, I wonder if he sent these little miracles to remind me that even amid the trials and tribulations of life, hope is still rising.
Spring is still rising, even amid late March’s tormenting white flurries.
Life is still rising, even when everything around you starts to feel like the worst kind of death.
I read Peter’s words as I sit down amid the tiny flowers:
“do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you. . .” (1 Peter 4:12).
Like the white flowers rising through the leaf-strewn earth, the words catch me off guard. Why am I always surprised when suffering comes?
We all face trials in life. When these times come, it’s easy to slip into crisis mode, entirely caught off guard.
The Trials and Tribulations of Life
Amid these trials, we need more than cliches about how God weaves beauty into our brokenness. We need Truth to stand on, Truth to carry us.
As I sit in the forest among the early spring flowers, I open God’s Word and find the following Bible verses for trials and tribulations.
1. 1 Peter 4:14
This verse reads: “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
When the trials and tribulations of life don’t relent, the glory of God rests on you.
Have the fiery trials burned you to ashes? Have the trials and tribulations of life worn you thin?
Take heart. Beauty rises from ashes. And where God creates beauty, his glory is made known.
Have the fiery trials burned you to ashes? Take heart. Beauty rises from ashes. And where God creates beauty, his glory is made known. #fierytrials #GodsGlory Share on X
2. 1 Peter 4:13
First Peter 4:13 offers this reminder: “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
This trial holds the power to magnify the goodness of God through you. Keep going. Keep your heart soft. Fight offense. Your story isn’t finished yet. (For more inspiration to keep going, join me here.)
Additionally, when you’re in the thick of the trial, you share in fellowship with Christ.
3. Hebrews 4:15
Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet he did not sin.”
We don’t need to understand this for it to be true. Jesus understands every struggle, weakness, and temptation we will ever face.
He gets it. We can allow the trials and tribulations of life to harden our hearts, or we can use them as prompts to draw near to the One who really does understand.
4. Psalm 34:18
This verse reads, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
In times of trouble and heartbreak, God is close to you.
You might not feel like God is close when you are hurting, but this doesn’t change the promise that he is close to the brokenhearted. God is near. He loves you deeply and wants to comfort you with his love.
5. Psalm 5:12
Psalm 5:12 reads, “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”
Even in times of trouble, God surrounds you like a shield.
No matter what happens in the world around you, if you humble yourself before God and lean on him by faith, he will surround you with favor as with a shield.
Nothing will reach you that has not first passed through God’s protective wings. You can trust that when God permits trouble in your life, he doesn’t enjoy it. Troubles come because we live in a fallen world where human beings have free will.
Trouble exists because people make ungodly choices, life is hard, and an enemy prowls around looking for people to destroy. Nevertheless, when God permits trouble in your life, you can trust that he intends to use it for your good and his glory.
6. John 16:33
Jesus spoke these words, “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.”
Jesus directly told us that life would be hard at times.
Because Jesus said it, we can expect it.
But let’s not get stuck here.
We don’t have to live in fear during troubled times. Jesus promises peace. There will be tribulation, but let’s not lose heart because Jesus has overcome the world.
7. Romans 8:38-39
This verse reads, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When life is difficult, do you ever wonder if God still loves you? When you begin to doubt God’s love for you, stand on the promise from Romans 8:38-39.
Nothing can ever take God’s love away from you.
Furthermore, when we study Scripture, we often see that trouble is a sign of God’s presence, not his absence.
8. Revelation 22:12
Revelation 22:12 reminds us, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
Take heart because you have a reward awaiting you in heaven.
And so, if you’ve had as much as you can take, don’t give up just yet. Your reward awaits on the other side of this life. Keep hoping in what is still unseen and keep watching for the spring beauties to rise through the dead earth. This story isn’t finished just yet.
Calling All Parents (and Grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Your Free Devotional for Hope and Peace
I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. This powerful devotional will help you turn to God in difficult moments, overcome insecurities, find freedom from destructive habits, and more. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
