36 Scriptures for Encouragement

What do you do when a friend is down but you just don’t know what to say? God knew what to say. Why not send a text once a day with some encouraging passage of Scripture? Here are 36 to choose from:

1. Job 38-42—God is awesome!
2. Psalm 5—Protect me!
3. Psalm 16—God is my only good
4. Psalm 18—God responds to my trouble with creation-rattling zeal
5. Psalm 23—The Lord is my Shepherd
6. Psalm 25—I look to You for satisfaction, guidance, redemption
7. Psalm 32—Blessed is the forgiven sinner!
8. Psalm 34—God is near to the brokenhearted
9. Psalm 36—The Lord is the source of all good
10. Psalm 37—Do not fret over the successes of the wicked
11. Psalm 42-43—I long for God, my soul is downcast
12. Psalm 46—God is our refuge and is more powerful than any threat
13. Psalm 51—Have mercy on me, a sinner!
14. Psalm 62—My soul finds rest in God alone
15. Psalm 63—I long for God in a dry and weary land
16. Psalm 77—Comfort from recalling God’s past deeds
17. Psalm 84—I long and faint to be in Your presence
18. Psalm 90—You are our home, satisfy us with Your love
19. Psalm 91—God will protect you
20. Psalm 93—The Lord reigns!
21. Psalm 103—Praise Him for forgiving, redeeming, restoring love!
22. Psalm 121—God will watch over you
23. Psalm 125—The LORD preserves His people
24. Psalm 131—I have stilled and quieted my soul hoping in You
25. Psalm 139—You know me thoroughly
26. Lamentations 3—His mercies are new every morning
27. Isaiah 40—Comfort for God’s people
28. Isaiah 42—The Compassionate Messiah
29. Isaiah 55—Come, all you who are thirsty!
30. Isaiah 57:14-21—Comfort for the contrite
31. Matthew 5:1-13—Blessed are the needy and persecuted
32. Matthew 6:25-34—Don’t worry – look at how God cares for the birds!
33. John 13-15—Let not your hearts be troubled
34. Romans 8—Nothing can separate you from His love
35. 2 Corinthians 4:6-18—Our frailty glorifies Him, and our suffering accomplishes glory for us.
36. Revelation 3:7-13—Hold on until I come!

Another great way to encourage someone is to remind him of God’s great and precious promises. For a list of promises for each of the common problems in life, click here.

For a deep dive into what Scripture says about how to encourage, see chapter three of the book Wise Counsel: Applying the Word of God to Life’s Problems.