Life is really hard sometimes, and we often need a boost of encouragement to get us through our struggles. It is nice to have people at your side who care for you but sometimes no matter what they say, their words are not enough.

One person who will never leave you in your times of need is God. He is a constant, he loves you for you. You could never do anything to make him love you any less. I wanted to gather some of my personal favorite verses from the bible that have gotten me through some of my toughest times. Hopefully, you can connect and use these in your time of need.

1. Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harms you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The fact that God has had our stories written out since before we even took a breath is something that has always amazed me. When I would try to plan every detail of my life something would happen that would mess up my plans and often make me upset but that’s when I had to remember. Nothing I do on this earth is because of myself. God gives me the ability to do whatever he has planned for me and I just have to trust and go along with it.

2. James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Sometimes when life just seems to be throwing curve ball after curve ball at me all I want to do is break down and crawl in a hole. But this verse is what keeps me going. It may seem like you can never catch a break but you have to remember you are serving a greater purpose. The tests that you are being out through are only making you stronger day by day. When you get to heaven and can finally be at peace you will understand all the trials were well worth it to achieve the ultimate gift of eternal life.

3. 1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am beyond full of anxiety. For no reason I can be very anxious and feel my chest tighten up, it is one of the worst feelings and I know many people suffer from it as well. The one tool in aiding my anxiety that has never failed to help is prayer. I simply talk to God, I say all the pointless stressful things on my mind and talk to him and ask for help. Once I accepted the fact that I cannot fix everything on my own and I can't control what happens every second, my anxiety became a little less. Now I think of this verse and simply talk to God right where I am. People may think it is silly but God is a father and a friend all in one. He listens to you no matter how stupid you sound, he wants you to trust him with all things in your life, especially the hard stuff

4. Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God!"

This is simple and sweet. Life moves at a super fast pace, I often can get overwhelmed and feel like I never stop moving. This verse reminds me to slow down and fully comprehend the fact that I don’t need to solve all of the world’s issues. God is almighty, he runs the whole show and he will take care of us if we let him.

5. Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

This is one of my absolute favorites. God tells us to be strong and fearless. If God tells us there is nothing to fear, then there is nothing to fear. He knows and sees all. Yes, bad things can and do happen but with God at the center of your life all the bad things that happen become a little easier and less scary because he is stronger than we can ever comprehend.

I probably come across as a complete Jesus freak and I hope I do because I really am. You do not have to have a perfect relationship with God to talk to him. Just like any relationship, it takes time. All he is looking for is for you to talk to him. Literally about anything in the world. Sometimes I just talk to him about the weather, or how I really need some motivation to go to the gym, and other times it is about the heavy stuff. I hope you all can take away from this article that God loves you. He is here for you and has always been there for you even if you didn’t realize it. Be strong and go out and spread your light into the world!