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Bible Verses About Discouragement to Memorize
Discouragement is usually not one big blow but a slow leak — prayers that seem unanswered, work that seems unnoticed, progress that seems invisible. Scripture takes that leak seriously. Whole chapters are written to people ready to quit: Joshua at the edge of an impossible task, the Hebrews tempted to drift, the Galatians “weary in well doing.”
These twelve verses do what their name suggests: they put courage back in. Galatians 6:9 promises that the harvest comes in due season to those who faint not. Isaiah 40:31 promises renewed strength to those who wait. Philippians 1:6 grounds it all in God’s persistence — He who began a good work in you will finish it, whether or not this week felt like progress.
Discouragement is cumulative, and so is encouragement. A verse reviewed daily builds a reserve the hard days draw on. These twelve are worth stockpiling.
KJV verse list
12 Bible verses about discouragement
Each verse below is shown in the King James Version. Read it slowly, then use the note beneath it to see why it is worth carrying with you.
Galatians 6:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
The verse for the weary in well doing: in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Joshua 1:9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
God’s charge to a daunted leader: be strong and of a good courage, for the LORD goes with you.
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
The exchange discouraged people need: those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength.
Psalm 42:11
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Preach to your own soul like David did: “hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Why we faint not: the inward man is renewed daily, and affliction is working an eternal weight of glory.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Confidence for slow seasons: He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
The promise that nothing is wasted: all things work together for good to them that love God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Run with patience, looking unto Jesus — the cure for fainting is a fixed gaze on Him.
Psalm 31:24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
A direct word to every hoper: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Be stedfast and unmoveable, knowing your labour is not in vain in the Lord — discouragement’s exact rebuttal.
Deuteronomy 31:8
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
The LORD goes before you and will be with you: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Psalm 27:13-14
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
David’s confession that he would have fainted without believing — and his counsel: wait on the LORD.
Memorization help
How to memorize these verses
Match the verse to the source of your discouragement: unseen labor, memorize 1 Corinthians 15:58; slow results, Galatians 6:9; a daunting task, Joshua 1:9; spiritual dryness, Psalm 42:11. Then review your verse at the moment discouragement usually speaks — Sunday night before the work week, or whenever you compare your progress to someone else’s. Encouragement compounds with repetition, which is exactly what The Bible Memory App’s free daily review is built for: a few minutes a day, and in due season you will be quoting Galatians 6:9 from a full reservoir.
The Bible Memory App turns that practice into a daily habit: type each verse from memory, get instant feedback on every word, and review on a schedule so the verses stay with you for years, not days. It is free to start, and you can add any of the verses above in seconds.
FAQ
Questions about Bible verses on discouragement
What is a good Bible verse for discouragement?
Galatians 6:9 speaks directly to it: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Isaiah 40:31 and Joshua 1:9 are close companions — one promises renewed strength to those who wait on the LORD, the other commands courage because He goes with you.
What does the Bible say when you feel like giving up?
It says keep going, and it gives reasons: your labor “is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58), the harvest comes “in due season … if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9), and God Himself will finish the work He began in you (Philippians 1:6). Hebrews 12:1-2 adds the method: run with patience, looking unto Jesus.
How do I encourage myself in the Lord like David did?
At Ziklag, David “encouraged himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6) — and the psalms show his technique: he rehearsed God’s character and past faithfulness, and he preached to his own soul (“hope thou in God,” Psalm 42:11). Memorized Scripture is the modern equivalent: truth stored up in advance, ready to be spoken to yourself on the day everything goes wrong.
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