In hard times, we can lose our joy, hope for the future, and doubt if God even sees us and knows what we’re going through. David was a man who went through very tough situations and at times felt discouraged. He shared with us encouraging psalms for strength in hard times.

How does God help us in difficult times?
No one willingly ever wants to go through a tough season of life. Whether it’s the death of someone close, a divorce, a troubled marriage, parenting a difficult teenager or addict, financial or health challenges, it’s easy to think God has deserted us. But the truth is, He never does.
We go through hard times just like Jesus, Job, Joseph, and many others in the Bible. God allows them for a purpose- the building of our character, our purpose, and ultimately His glory.
In difficult times God helps us:
- Through the Promises in His Word which encourage and strengthen us. The psalms of strength are just part of the many Promises of God we can hold onto in hard times.
- The Holy Spirit comforts us because He is the Comforter.
- God sends others in the body of Christ to stand with us and support us in our time of need.
- He is the God of hope and He assures us that the hard season is temporary.
How did David find strength in the Lord during hard times?
The entire chapter of 1 Samuel 30 tells of a very encouraging and powerful story. David and his men returned from war to their home and were met with a tragic sight. Their whole town had been burned by fire and their wives and children taken away as captives by their enemy, the Amalekites.
The men were devastated and had every right to be. While there’s a myth that men don’t cry, these men (including David) wept-they sobbed, wailed, grieved, and mourned.
In their grieving, they thought of someone to blame and their leader David was right there. These men must have thought that if they hadn’t been out with David, none of this would have happened. They would have defended their city and families had they been present.
And they started to plot of killing David. My favorite part in the story is right after David realized his men were turning against him, planning to betray him. David’s response is remarkable and inspirational.
“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” NKJV
1 Samuel 30:6
We sure can take a leaf from David’s life. When all hope seemed to be lost, when all his friends had turned against him, when he possibly had no home because the city had burned down, when he had lost his family (his 2 wives had been captured)– David strengthened and encouraged himself in the Lord. This is just one of the many trials he went through.
He wrote encouraging psalms for strength in hard times so you and I can be comforted and uplifted during challenges. We can use these inspirational bible verses about strength to encourage ourselves in the Lord.
The Power of the Psalms
David was a worshipper so the Book of Psalms contains prayers, poems, and hymns. In them we see David praising God and being honest with God about what he was feeling and going through.
Psalms offer deep worship because they’re from the heart. They’re full of hope, thanksgiving, joy, and peace. Reading through the encouraging psalms for strength in hard times will help us pray God’s word when we’re struggling with words to express how we feel.
The Book of Psalms is still relevant today. Even Apostle Paul encouraged the New Testament church to read and practice the psalms.
“speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,”
Ephesians 5:19
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Colossians 3:16

30 Encouraging Psalms for strength in hard times
Just like David, when life is challenging and your heart is so heavy that you feel weak and powerless, the Lord will strengthen you with His Word.
These encouraging psalms verses will remind us of what a mighty God we serve. We can rejoice and praise Him when we remember that “This too shall pass“. We can trust in God because we know He is for us; He is within us and He goes before us.
7 Encouragement psalms for difficult seasons
In tough situations, we can forget who we are and the faithfulness of God in our lives. That’s why we need to be reminded of God’s promises and the truth from God’s Word. These psalms of encouragement remind us that:
- God is always with us even when life is challenging.
- God is attentive and hears our cries.
- We can praise God because we know He will help us.
- We need to trust in God all times.
- God created us, He is powerful.
- We are God’s people and He is our Shepherd.
- God will always protect us and sustain us during hard seasons.
“I have set the Lord always before me;
Psalm 16:8
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”
“The Lord is my shepherd;
Psalm 23:1-2
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.”
“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
Psalm 9:9-10
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”
”Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
Psalm 10:17
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear,”
“Those who sow in tears
Psalm 126:5
Shall reap in joy.”
“Cast your burden on the Lord,
Psalm 55:22
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
“Know that the Lord, He is God;
Psalm 100:3
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
6 Psalms for strength when you’re weak
In tough times, these psalm verses about strength will ensure that we don’t give up. They remind us that we should trust in God because He is all-powerful. Nothing that happens to us is a surprise to God. He will support and strengthen us when we’re weak.
“God is our refuge and strength,
Psalm 46:1
A very present help in trouble.”
“Seek the Lord and His strength;
Psalm 105:4
Seek His face evermore!”
“I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
Psalm 18:1-2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
By ourselves, we can’t overcome the challenges of this life. That’s why we have a Savior. God will give us the strength to carry on in hard times. We need to pray and trust God to be our strength. The Lord is always faithful to answer our prayers in times of need.
“My flesh and my heart fail;
Psalm 73:26
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
“But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
Psalm 22:19
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!”
“My soul melts from heaviness;
Psalm 119:28
Strengthen me according to Your word.”
These strength psalms remind us that our flesh is weak and our hearts are deceptive. In tough times, they will fail us. Our hearts and minds will feed us lies from the devil in tough times.
You know the lies from the devil:
- God doesn’t love you. If he did, why would He let you go through this?
- You will never recover from this
- No one cares about you
- You are a failure
But God. His Word is the truth that will help us defeat the lies from the devil. We need to be close to God in hard times and not far from Him. God is our strength not only for a moment or a season but forever. We need to read and pray the encouraging psalms in hard times.
6 Psalms of Hope
Life is tough. And being a believer in God doesn’t exempt us from tough seasons. The difference is we have hope and that hope is Jesus Christ. When we go through the hard times, He will carry us and strengthen us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is for us.
It’s in the difficult seasons of life that we need encouraging psalms about hope for the future so we can remember that a tough season is just that-a season. There’s a time for everything under the sun but no season lasts forever.
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
Psalm 33:18
On those who hope in His mercy,”
“Truly my soul silently waits for God;
Psalm 62:1-2
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved”
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
Psalm 27:13
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.”
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.”Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
Psalm 34:17-19
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul?
Psalm 42:5
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.”
“The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
Psalm 103:19
And His kingdom rules over all.”
These psalms of hope show us that:
- We need to patiently wait upon the Lord, He will deliver us from our troubles.
- Hard times don’t mean we doubt who God is. He is still God, our rock and salvation.
- As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should stand firm in our faith in God. We should not be moved or shaken by life’s challenges.
- Our hope is in God, our tomorrow will always be better than today.
- God is near us in tough seasons. He reminds us of His love and faithfulness.
- God is still on the throne. He is still in control.
We’re not discouraged when we trust whole-heartedly in God. He is the Ultimate Savior of our lives. Even in tough times, we fix our gaze upon Him, waiting for Him to strengthen us. He is the rock that we can lean on when we feel weak. In Him, we will not be shaken or moved but will stand firm in our faith.
5 Psalms for strength and courage
We need to be bold and courageous when going through hard seasons. These powerful inspirational psalms will guide us on how to do just that.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Psalm 27:1
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?”
“He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
Psalm 112:7
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”
“Be of good courage,
Psalm 31:24
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.”
“In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
Psalm 138:3
And made me bold with strength in my soul.”
“Wait on the Lord;
Psalm 27:14
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
These psalms of strength and courage remind us to put our hope in God always. When we do, we will not be afraid but we will persevere through challenges as God strengthens us. Even in dark times, God is our light and our salvation. We become courageous because of Him.
6 Psalms for comfort and strength
Throughout the Book of Psalms, we see how David sang and rejoiced in the Lord. He knew God’s character- He knew that God was always good and merciful. God was his helper, defense, and refuge. God’s presence gave him comfort when times were hard. Through these encouraging psalms of comfort and strength, we see that God always fights all our battles.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
Psalm 91:14-15
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.”
“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
Psalm 28:7
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.”
“But I will sing of Your power;
Psalm 59:16
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.”
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
Psalm 121:1-2
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.”
“For the Lord is good;
Psalm 100:5
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.”
“From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
Psalm 61:2
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
These uplifting psalms remind us that our Helper Jesus Christ, died on the Cross for us to live a victorious life in Him. We need to abide in His Word and put all our hope and trust in Him. He’ll never disappoint us.
Prayer for strength during hard times
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the all-powerful Lord. I worship you for You are mighty and ever-present. You are my refuge in times of trouble. Forgive me for not trusting in you during the tough times of my life. From today onwards, teach me to look unto you for strength in the hard seasons.
Like David, may I be able to encourage myself in the Lord through the psalms. Help me to always remember that your Word is the light I need in dark times because it gives me hope, courage and comforts me. Thank you that you are my Helper, Savior, and friend. Continue to be my strength in hard times, Lord.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.


Emily Susanne
July 20, 2020 at 9:04 pmThank you for this post of Biblical encouragement! I’ve always loved Psalm 121.
Joni Steinauer
July 24, 2020 at 5:32 pmThank you for thos beautiful post. We all need to remember that God is there for us in the good times and the bad. Blessings, Joni
Elizabeth
July 20, 2020 at 9:21 pmThese are great scriptures to mediate on. Thanks for the prayer
DONNA MILLER
July 20, 2020 at 9:51 pmThis is so beautiful Tinasha! You are so right, we may get encouragement from friends family and Church. But we should mostly get our strength and encouragement from the Lord Himself. This is a beautiful compilation of Psalms. Thank you for writing and sharing this, straight from the heart of God. ❤
Ava James
July 22, 2020 at 9:53 amPsalm 62 is so encouraging and taking the view…from now onwards looking to God for strength. Very uplifting post, thanks!
Emily
July 20, 2020 at 10:02 pmThe Psalms are the perfect book to read from the Bible to encourage a weary heart! Thank you for sharing your favorites.
Teresa
July 20, 2020 at 11:05 pmI don’t do it often enough, but I really enjoy praying Psalms. They have certainly been the go-to scripture for us during difficult times.
Tammy Jo
July 21, 2020 at 12:06 amJust love these encouraging words and how well you spelled them out!
Prayers up!
Elizabeth Daghfal
July 21, 2020 at 2:26 amAhh, But God…And God…For God…Then God. I love how we see God working in all types of circumstances–but no matter what, it all comes down to Him. It’s incredibly encouraging to see all of David’s emotions clearly written in the Psalms–and to know that God wants us to come to Him. Thanks for the reminder!
Mary Armand
July 21, 2020 at 3:05 amWhat a great resource! Pinned to share!
Teresa
July 21, 2020 at 10:35 pmLove this post of encouraging Psalms! But God. God is always the answer to every need. Thank you for this reminder to seek God in His Word in the hard times of life. Very needed in our world right now.
Arrica Hess
July 21, 2020 at 1:32 pmMan, that David led a hard life but he really loved the Lord!! Thank you for this biblical example and for all of the encouraging Pslams. Great resource.
jenna
July 21, 2020 at 2:41 pmI love Psalms! Going to print these out and hand them throughout the house. Thank you!
Reaiah Rose
July 21, 2020 at 9:22 pmSuch great scriptures of encouragement. Saved and pinned it to have as future reference. These are scriptures I could keep going back to. Thanks
Mary Armand
July 22, 2020 at 1:58 amVery encouraging post & I appreciate all of the Bible verses! The difference is as Christians we have hope…love that part!
Kari Minter
July 22, 2020 at 6:00 pmThis is just so perfect! Thank you so much for putting all these together in one spot and encouraging my soul today!
Wendy @ One Exceptional Life
July 23, 2020 at 11:46 amThese Scriptures in Psalms are great reminders of a loving, Heavenly Father who always loves us and cares for us. I love that Elizabeth Elliott quote!
Adriana David
July 23, 2020 at 6:22 pmHi! Thank you so much for such an inspiring and uplifting blog post this week! I love Psalm 73:26.
Collene
July 23, 2020 at 6:27 pmI loved how you put this together. Reminding us in the hardest of times to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. I love all the verses you shared as well!
Meghan Villatoro
July 24, 2020 at 5:13 amThese are some tough times for us all, so I know I really appreciated this! That quote from Elisabeth Elliot is really powerful!
Dani James
July 24, 2020 at 10:54 amThis is brilliant, so encouraging, explained so well and very helpful!
Barbara
July 24, 2020 at 5:39 pmEmmanuel, God with us! I love the name of your blog! At least your title makes me think of the word Emmanuel. The 8 Psalms you chose to encourage us for strength in tough times are perfect! Your beginning verse really sets the stage because David is our best example showing us that we must encourage ourselves in the Lord. As much as my husband makes me laugh and fills my life with joy and love, he cannot come even close to what the Lord does in my heart, soul and mind when I need strength to get through another day. Beautiful, outstanding post! Thank you!
Stephanie
July 26, 2020 at 3:46 pmThe Psalms have always been my favorite. When I was a little girl, I’d fall asleep with my Bible opened to Psalms because I’d read for hours on end. It’s such a comforting book, and beautiful too! This is such a wonderful post.
Karen
July 26, 2020 at 5:49 pmI love all of these Psalms for strength! It is amazing how much scripture can soothe troubles and worry and provide the strength we need as we focus of Jesus.
Adriane
July 26, 2020 at 8:41 pmI need to bookmark this post because it has such powerful words all over it. Thank you for researching and finding all the most encouraging psalms we need to get through tough times.
inthemidstclub
July 26, 2020 at 11:26 pmI love Psalm 62:1-2! One of my favorites. This is great list that I need to save for future reference.
Summer
July 26, 2020 at 11:32 pmIt’s true what you said about Christians not being exempt from tough times. These days a false gospel is being preached that says that “if you want a better life, just come to Jesus”. That’s not a gospel that saves. That said, thank you for this list of Psalms to encourage me when I walk through storms.
Jessie
July 27, 2020 at 12:30 amI’ve just started reading the Psalms, and I love how it covers every emotion there possibly is in human life. You picked 8 amazing ones!
Betty Rojugbokan
July 27, 2020 at 3:31 amThank you for this post on encouragement in tough times. I never get tired of reading about how David encouraged himself in the Lord.
Mamie
July 28, 2020 at 1:24 amThis is encouraging. Using scripture always helps to encourage and keep me rooted.