my favourite Bible verses for seasons of suffering

A friend asked what Bible verses help me get through times of suffering. She said,

What I need right now is a Romans 8.28 replacement. Maybe I just need verses that remind me that God is good and God is strong. Got any short ones I can repeat over and over?

Here's my response:

There are a few single verses I keep coming back to, like Romans 5:3-4, 8:31-32, 8:35; Galatians 6:8-9; 1 Peter 1:6-7; and little bits of the psalms like Psalm 46:1 and 84:1. But I am not very good with short verses, because I find it easier to remember longer passages.

When I'm going through a time of struggle, I often memorise a psalm for that season; my favourites are 23, 42, 46, 84, 103, 121, 130, 131, 139 and I am always coming back to them (at least the bits I remember!). Many of them are quite short.

Three favourite passages that help me persevere through times of trial are 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Hebrews 12:1-13 and Romans 8:18-39

I love Psalm 73:23-26 and Habakkuk 3:17-19, for they remind me that I could lose everything, and still have all I want in Jesus. "Where else have we to go, since you alone have words of eternal life?" (John 6:68).

I also say these passages over and over: Ephesians 1:3-10 (all spiritual blessings); 1 Peter 1:3-9 (how suffering refines our faith); Romans 5:1-11 (being sure of God's grace).

And there are some passages on anxiety I keep returning to, like the ones in Matthew 6:19-34 and Philippians 4:4-9.

What verses would you add? I'd love to hear from you (and so would my friend, I'm sure).  


For more suggestions, and if you'd like to commit some of these to memory, see my series memorizing the Bible.