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138 Bible verses about joy in adversity
My friends, choose to stay happy even when all kinds of troubles come your way,
because human anger doesn't reflect the good character of God.
So get rid of all that's filthy and evil. Humbly accept the word that's been implanted within you—for this is what can save you.
But do what the word says—don't just listen to it and delude yourselves.
If you just listen to the word, and don't act on it, it's like staring at your own face in a mirror.
You see yourself, but then you leave, and immediately forget what you looked like.
But if you look to the perfect law of freedom and follow it, not as someone who just listens and then forgets, but as someone who acts on it—then you will be blessed in what you do.
If you think you're religious, but don't control what you say, you deceive yourself—your religion is pointless.
In the eyes of our God and Father, religion that's pure and genuine is to visit orphans and widows in their suffering, and to keep yourself from being contaminated by the world.
because you know that endurance comes from dealing with challenges to your trust in God.
Not only this—we also remain confident when problems come, because we know that experiencing problems develops spiritual stamina.
Spiritual stamina in turn develops a mature character, and this mature character results in confident hope.
Since we have this hope we're never disappointed, for God's love has been poured into us through the Holy Spirit he's given us.
So be glad about this, even though you may be sad for a short while as you endure various trials.
These prove that your trust in God is genuine, just as fire is used to prove if gold is genuine—even though that too can be destroyed—and your faith is more valuable than gold! In this way your trust in God will be recognized and you will receive praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears.
For his anger only lasts a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. You may spend the night in tears, but happiness comes with the morning.
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, those whom he has called to be part of his plan.
Always be full of joy,
never stop praying,
be thankful in every situation—because this is what God in Christ Jesus wants you to do.
Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy!
Those who weep as they go out to sow their seed will be singing in celebration when they carry the harvest home.
The Lord will give to everyone who mourns in Zion a crown instead of ashes on their head, the oil of happiness instead of mourning, clothes of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of integrity, planted by the Lord to reveal his glory.
For that reason, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of people who gave evidence of their trust in God, let's get rid of everything that holds us back, the seductive sins that trip us up, and let's keep on running the race placed before us.
They disciplined us for a short while as they thought appropriate, but God does so for our benefit in order that we can share his holy character.
When it happens, all discipline seems painful and not something to be happy about. But later on it produces peace in those who have been trained in this way so that they do what is good and right.
So strengthen your feeble hands, and your weak knees!
Make straight paths to walk on, so that those who are crippled won't lose their way, but will be healed.
Do your best to live in peace with everybody, and look for holiness—if you don't have this you won't see the Lord.
Make sure that none of you lack God's grace, in case some cause of bitterness arises to give trouble and end up corrupting many of you.
Make sure there's nobody who is sexually immoral, or irreligious, like Esau was. He sold his birthright for a single meal.
You remember that even when he wanted to receive the blessing later on he was refused. Even though he really tried, and cried hard, Esau couldn't change what he had done.
You haven't arrived at a physical mountain that can be touched, that burned with fire, to a stormy place of black darkness,
where the sound of a trumpet and a voice speaking was heard—and those who heard the voice begged never to hear it speak to them again.
We should keep on looking to Jesus, the one who begins and completes our trust in God. Because of the joy ahead of him Jesus endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God's throne.
Blessed are those persecuted for what is right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and accuse you of all kinds of evil things because of me.
Be glad, be really glad, for you will receive a great reward in heaven—for they persecuted the prophets who came before you in just the same way.
May you be made powerfully strong by his wonderful strength, having great patience and endurance.
When you walk through the water, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they won't flood over you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you on fire.
Just be sure that the way you live your lives corresponds to the good news of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or not I can get to hear how you're doing—that you stand firm in full agreement with one another, spiritually united as you work together for the trusting faith of the good news.
Don't let your enemies scare you. By being brave you will demonstrate to them that they will be lost, but that God himself will save you.
Why am I so discouraged? Why do I feel so sad? I will hope in God; I will praise him because he is the one who saves me—my God!
So we don't give up. Even though our physical bodies are falling apart, our inner selves are being renewed daily.
These trivial troubles we have only last for a little while, but they produce for us an ever-increasing degree of glory.
We don't concern ourselves with what can be seen, for we look forward to what can't be seen. What we see is temporary, but what we can't see is eternal.
Come to me, all of you who struggle and who are burdened down. I will give you rest.
Accept my yoke, and learn from me. For I am kind and have a humble heart, and in me you will find the rest you need.
to ask on his behalf, “Are you the one we were expecting to come, or should we continue to look for someone else?”
For my yoke is gentle, and my burden is light.”
But the Spirit produces fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trust,
gentleness, self-control—and there's no law against these kinds of things!
Remain cheerful in the hope you have, put up with the troubles that come, keep on praying.
If you're happy inside, you'll have a cheerful face, but if you're sad, you look crushed.
But when I'm afraid, I trust in you.
I thank God for his promises. I trust in God, so why should I be fearful? What can mere human beings do to me?
My friends, don't be alarmed at the “ordeals of fire” you're having, as if these were unexpected.
Be happy to the extent that you share in Christ's suffering, because when he appears in his glory, you will be incredibly happy!
I waited for the Lord patiently, and he turned to me—he heard my cry for help.
I have not kept the truth of your goodness hidden inside me—I have spoken of your trustworthiness and your salvation. I have not concealed your unfailing love and your faithfulness from the whole congregation.
Lord, please don't keep back your mercy from me. May your trustworthy love and faithfulness always be my protection.
For I'm experiencing so many problems—I can't even count them! My sins have piled up so high I can't see over them. They're more than the number of hairs on my head! I feel like giving up!
Lord, please save me! Hurry, Lord, help me!
Please defeat and humiliate the people who are trying to kill me; turn back in disgrace those who want to hurt me.
May they be shocked at their defeat, those who taunted me.
But may everyone who comes to you be happy and glad; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord is great!”
As for me, I am poor and needy. May the Lord think about me. Help me! Save me! My God, please don't wait!
He pulled me out of the pit of destruction, out from the mud and the slime. He set me on a rock, and gave me a safe place to stand.
He gave me a new song to sing, a song of praise to our God. Many people will see and be in awe, and they will put their trust in him.
But those who trust in the Lord will have their strength renewed. They will fly high with wings like eagles. They will run and not be tired. They will walk and not be worn out.
Are any of you suffering? You should pray. Are some of you cheerful? You should sing songs of praise.
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the amazing things you have done.
Those who know your nature trust in you, for you don't abandon those who come to you.
Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Zion! Tell the nations what he has done!
He does not forget to punish murderers; he does not ignore the cries of the suffering.
Be gracious to me, Lord! Look at how my enemies are persecuting me! Grab me back from the gates of death,
so I can praise you at Zion's gates, happy that you have saved me.
The nations have fallen into their own pit they dug; their feet are trapped by their own net they set.
The Lord is known for his fairness; the wicked are trapped by their own actions. Higgaion. Selah.
The wicked depart, going to the grave—all nations who turn their backs on God.
But the needy will not be ignored forever, the hope of those who suffer will not always be dashed.
Stand up, Lord! Don't let human beings win! Let the nations be brought before you for judgment!
I will be glad and celebrate in you; I will sing praises to your wonderful nature, Most High God.
Don't love money; be content with what you have. God himself has said, “I'll never let you down; I'll never give up on you.”
That's why we can confidently say, “The Lord is the one who helps me, so I won't be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
May the God of hope completely fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you will overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit!
So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow can worry about itself. There's already enough evil in every day.”
Why am I so discouraged? Why do I feel so sad? I will hope in God; I will praise him because he is the one who saves me—
Let's never tire of doing good, for we'll reap a harvest at the proper time, if we don't give up.
The suffering I went through was good for me, so I could think about what you have stipulated.
I'm not talking about my own needs, because I've already learned to be satisfied in whatever situation I find myself.
I'm used to having nothing, and I've experienced having plenty too. In every possible situation I've learned the secret of dealing with having plenty and going hungry, of being rich and of living in poverty:
Just remember the past when, after you understood the truth, you experienced a great deal of suffering.
Sometimes you were made a spectacle of, being insulted and attacked; at other times you stood in solidarity with those who were suffering.
You showed your sympathy for those in prison, and took it cheerfully when your possessions were confiscated, knowing that you have something better coming that will truly last.
Don't be afraid, for I am with you! Don't be frightened for I, your God, will make you strong, and I will certainly help you. I will support you with my strong hand, acting for what is right.
Seen as miserable, we are always rejoicing; as poor, but we make many rich; as destitute, but we own everything!
I want to really know him, and the power of his resurrection—to take part in his suffering and become like him in his death,
Please return and help us again, Lord. Renew us like streams of water that renew the Negev desert.
Now that we have been made right by God by trusting in him, we have peace with him through our Lord Jesus Christ.
While we were his enemies, God made us his friends through the death of his Son, and so we can be absolutely sure that he will save us through the life of his Son.
In addition to this we now celebrate what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ to reconcile us and make us his friends.
For through one man sin entered the world, and sin led to death. In this way death came to everyone, for everyone sinned.
Even before the law was given, sin was in the world, however it wasn't counted as sin because there was no law.
But death still ruled from Adam until Moses, even over those who didn't sin in the same way as Adam did. Now Adam prefigured the one to come.
But the gift of Jesus is not like the sin of Adam. Though many people died because of one man's sin, God's grace is so much greater and has been shared with so many through his gracious gift in the person of Jesus Christ.
The result of the gift is not like that of the sin. The result of Adam's sin was judgment and condemnation, but the gift sets us right with God, despite our many sins.
As a result of one man's sin, death ruled because of him. But God's grace is so much greater and his gift sets us right, for everyone who receives it will rule in life through the person of Jesus Christ!
Just as one sin brought condemnation on everyone, in the same way one right act gave everyone the opportunity to live right.
Just as through one man's disobedience many became sinners, in the same way through one man's obedience many are made right with God.
It's through Jesus, trusting in him, that we've gained access to this position of grace where we now stand, looking forward with happiness and confidence to sharing in God's glory.
Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the compassionate Father and the God of all comfort.
He comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those who are also in trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
I praise you for making me in such an awesome and wonderful way. What you do is incredible—I realize this completely!
You will keep in complete peace those who keep their minds focused on you, because they trust in you.
Then those who hate me will run away when I call for your help. For I know this: God is for me!
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you into his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore you, support you, strengthen you, and give you a solid foundation.
You have shown me the path of life, filling me with joy with your presence and the delight of living with you forever.
Christ has rescued us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. As Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
so that through Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham could come to the foreigners as well, and we could receive the promise of the Spirit by trusting God.
Yet I'm convinced that what we suffer in the present is nothing compared to the future glory that will be revealed to us.
“This is who our God is. He is our God forever and ever. He himself will lead us until the very end.”
The Lord will always lead you; he will give you all you need in you in a desolate land; he will make you strong again. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that never runs dry.
Lord my God, you have done so many wonderful things for us, and you have so many plans for us. No one compares to you. I want to tell all that you've done—blessings too many to count.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, to show that this supreme power comes from God and not from ourselves.
We are attacked from every direction, but we are not crushed. We are at a loss as to what to do, but never in despair.
We are persecuted, but never abandoned by God. We are knocked down, but not dead yet!
When they call out to me for help, I will answer; when they are in trouble, I will be with them. I will save and honor them.
So we should go confidently to God on his throne of grace so we can receive mercy, and discover grace to help us when we really need it.
I'm absolutely sure that God who began this good work in you will continue working and bring it to a successful conclusion when Jesus Christ returns.
But now this is what the Lord says to Jacob, the one who created you; to Israel, the one who formed you: “Don't be afraid! I have saved you! I have called you by name; you are mine!
for God's kingdom is not about eating and drinking, but about living right, having peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Everyone who is born of God defeats the world. The way we gain victory and defeat the world is by trusting God.
Praise the Lord! Happy are those who respect the Lord, who love to do what he says!
The wicked observe all this and are mad; they gnash their teeth in anger. They waste away, and all that they hoped for comes to nothing.
Their descendants will prosper in the land; the children of those who do good will be blessed.
I will happily celebrate in the Lord! My whole being will shout praises to my God. For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation, and has wrapped around me a robe of goodness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for the wedding, like a bride wearing her jewels.
Even when I walk through the valley dark as death, I'm not afraid of any evil, because you are right there with me; your rod and your staff protect me.
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you cannot see him now, you trust in him and you're filled with wonderful, indescribable happiness.
But the Spirit produces fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trust,
So let us through Jesus always offer a sacrifice of praise to God—this means speaking well of God, declaring his character.
So what's our response to all this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
God, who did not hold back his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, won't he also freely give us everything?
Even though I walk into a great deal of trouble, you protect me. You reach out to defend me from the anger of those who hate me—your strong hand saves me.
neither height nor depth, in fact nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Look! God is my salvation! I will trust in him and I won't be afraid! For the Lord is my strength and song, and he has saved me!”
God is trustworthy who called you to share together in fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Throw your burdens onto the Lord and he will take care of you. He will never allow those who live right to fall.
God didn't give us a spirit that makes us fearful, but a spirit of power and love and good sense.
You have turned my weeping into dancing. You have taken off my clothes of sackcloth and dressed me in happiness,
so I can sing praises to you and not keep quiet. Lord my God, I will thank you forever!
My dear friends, don't seek revenge, but leave it to God to execute judgment—as Scripture points out, “‘It's for me to dispense justice, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
Confirm that I'm innocent, Lord, for I have acted with integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without fail.
whose hands carry out their evil schemes and grab hold of bribes.
For I don't do that—I act with integrity. Save me and be gracious to me!
I stand for what's right, and I will praise the Lord when we meet together to worship him.
Examine me, Lord, test me; investigate my thoughts and intentions.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to freedom! Just don't use your freedom as an excuse to indulge your sinful human nature—instead serve one another in love.
Why am I so discouraged? Why do I feel so sad? I will hope in God; I will praise him because he is the one who saves me—my God!
You won't experience any greater temptation than anyone else, and God is trustworthy. He won't allow you to be tempted more than you can bear, and when you are tempted, he will provide for you a way out so you can stay strong.
We should keep on looking to Jesus, the one who begins and completes our trust in God. Because of the joy ahead of him Jesus endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God's throne.
How happy are those whose strength is in you, those who are determined to make a pilgrimage.
My God will fill you with everything you need in accordance with his glorious wealth in Christ Jesus!
But you belong to God, my friends, and you have defeated them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
However many promises God has made, in Christ the answer is always Yes. Through him we respond, saying Yes to the glory of God.
The Lord watches over those who reverently follow him, those who place their hope in his trustworthy love
if you dedicate yourselves to helping the hungry and give the poor what they need, then your light will shine out in the darkness, and your night will be like the sun at noon.
The Lord will always lead you; he will give you all you need in you in a desolate land; he will make you strong again. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that never runs dry.
be thankful in every situation—because this is what God in Christ Jesus wants you to do.
But we're not the kind of people who draw back and end up being lost. We are those who trust in God to save us.
Not only this—we also remain confident when problems come, because we know that experiencing problems develops spiritual stamina.
He gives strength to the weary and power to the powerless.
A voice is heard calling, “Prepare the way for the Lord in the wilderness, make a straight highway for our God through the desert.
Even young people grow weak and tired—they fall down when they're exhausted.
But those who trust in the Lord will have their strength renewed. They will fly high with wings like eagles. They will run and not be tired. They will walk and not be worn out.
The Lord is with me, so I have nothing to fear. No one can harm me.
The Lord is with me, he will help me. I will see those who hate me defeated.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the cross their sinful human nature, together with all their sinful passions and desires.
Just be sure that the way you live your lives corresponds to the good news of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or not I can get to hear how you're doing—that you stand firm in full agreement with one another, spiritually united as you work together for the trusting faith of the good news.
That's why anyone who is in Christ is a new being—what was old is gone, the new has come!
I waited for the Lord patiently, and he turned to me—he heard my cry for help.
I have not kept the truth of your goodness hidden inside me—I have spoken of your trustworthiness and your salvation. I have not concealed your unfailing love and your faithfulness from the whole congregation.
Lord, please don't keep back your mercy from me. May your trustworthy love and faithfulness always be my protection.
For I'm experiencing so many problems—I can't even count them! My sins have piled up so high I can't see over them. They're more than the number of hairs on my head! I feel like giving up!
Lord, please save me! Hurry, Lord, help me!
Please defeat and humiliate the people who are trying to kill me; turn back in disgrace those who want to hurt me.
May they be shocked at their defeat, those who taunted me.
But may everyone who comes to you be happy and glad; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord is great!”
As for me, I am poor and needy. May the Lord think about me. Help me! Save me! My God, please don't wait!
He pulled me out of the pit of destruction, out from the mud and the slime. He set me on a rock, and gave me a safe place to stand.
My friends, I don't consider that I've already won, but this is my one objective: disregarding what is behind me, I strain forward to what is in front of me.
I run towards the finish line to win the prize of God's invitation to heaven through Christ Jesus.
Put your trust totally in the Lord—don't rely on what you think you know!
Remember him in everything you do, and he'll show you the right way.