Hope is a central theme in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with verses that offer hope, comfort, and reassurance to believers. Here are some key Bible verses about hope:
Old Testament Verses About Hope
In the Old Testament, we find verses expressing hope in God’s promises, deliverance, and salvation. Even in times of trouble and despair, God gives hopeful words to lift our eyes to Him.
Psalm 33:20-22 – “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”
This Psalm expresses the hope we find in God’s unfailing love. When we put our hope in God, He surrounds us as our help and shield.
Psalm 130:5 – “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”
We hope in God’s Word. His promises give us reason to keep hoping, even in difficult times.
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
One of the most uplifting verses about hope. God has good plans for us, despite our circumstances. He promises our future is secure in Him.
Lamentations 3:21-24 – “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.'”
A powerful confession of hope even in grief. God’s unfailing love and mercy give us reason to hope each new day.
Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Waiting on the Lord renews our strength and hope. This verse urges us to rise above our troubles and continue hoping in Him.
New Testament Verses About Hope
In the New Testament, we find our ultimate hope in Christ and His promises. Jesus is our living hope, and His Spirit lives in us to give us confidence for the future.
Romans 5:2-5 – “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
We have hope in sharing God’s glory one day. Our present suffering produces endurance and character that give us even greater hope.
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
God fills us with joy, peace, and abounding hope by the Holy Spirit’s power.
1 Corinthians 13:13 – “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Faith, hope, and love remain forever. Love is the greatest.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
God comforts us so we can comfort others with the same hope we’ve received. His mercies give hope in affliction.
Ephesians 1:18 – “…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”
God opens our eyes to see the great hope of our inheritance in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 – “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
Hope in our salvation protects us like a helmet. It’s part of our spiritual armor.
Titus 2:11-13 – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
We live in godliness while we wait in hope for Jesus’ return in glory.
1 Peter 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
We have a living hope through Jesus’ resurrection, leading to an eternal inheritance.
Finding Hope in God’s Promises
A key way we maintain hope is by trusting in God’s promises. Here are some examples of His hope-filled promises:
Promise of God’s Presence
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Promise of Eternal Life
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Promise of Forgiveness
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Promise of Purpose
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Promise of God’s Love
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Promise of Strength and Help
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Promise of Peace
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Putting Hope in God Through Difficult Times
Having hope does not mean pretending like hard things aren’t happening. The Bible is realistic that we will face trials and sorrow. Yet even in the toughest times, God gives hope and reminders of His sovereignty and care.
Psalm 34:17-19 – “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
God hears our cries and rescues us. He stays near and lifts up the brokenhearted.
Psalm 42:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.”
We can speak words of hope to our own soul when turmoil comes. Our hope remains in praising God.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Our present afflictions are momentary and result in eternal glory. We focus on the unseen reality of God’s hope.
Romans 8:24-25 – “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Biblical hope is not wishful thinking but eager expectation even when we don’t see the full result yet. We wait patiently.
Specific Hopes from Scripture
The Bible points to several specific hopes believers can cling to:
- Hope of salvation – “For in this hope we were saved.” Romans 8:24
- Hope of heaven – “Paul, looking intently at the council, said, ‘Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.’ And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, ‘God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?’ Those who stood by said, ‘Would you revile God’s high priest?’ And Paul said, ‘I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”” Acts 23:1-5
- Hope of righteousness – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3
- Hope of the resurrection – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3
- Hope of sharing Christ’s glory – “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:16-17
- Hope of eternal life – “Paul, looking intently at the council, said, ‘Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.’ And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, ‘God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?’ Those who stood by said, ‘Would you revile God’s high priest?’ And Paul said, ‘I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”” Acts 23:1-5
- Hope of Christ’s return – “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Titus 2:13
Hopeful Prayers
Praying God’s Word back to Him is a powerful way to stir up hope in our hearts. We can make these verses personal in our prayers:
- “Lord, in the morning, satisfy me with Your unfailing love so I may sing for joy all my days.” (from Psalm 90:14)
- “Father, Your steadfast love never ceases, Your mercies never end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! Give me hope today.” (from Lamentations 3:22-23)
- “Thank You, Lord, that You know the plans You have for me – plans to give me hope and a future.” (from Jeremiah 29:11)
- “Lord, I wait for You; in Your Word I put my hope. Renew my strength today as I wait on You.” (from Psalm 130:5 and Isaiah 40:31)
- “Lord, fill me with Your inexpressible joy as I put my hope in You.” (from 1 Peter 1:8)
In Closing
Hope is a constant theme throughout Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, we see God’s care and promises that give hope even in difficult times. Though trials will come, we can choose to fix our eyes on the unseen eternal realities – our future resurrection, eternity with Jesus, and the new heavens and new earth. God walks with us through present sufferings and will one day wipe every tear from our eyes. We have so much to hope for! May these verses inspire you to place your hope in God each new day.