25 Empowering Bible Verses about Strength

Samson in the Bible may have been fabulously strong, but he was ridiculously unqualified to teach a kindergarten Sunday school class. Talk about a spiritual wimp. If only he had loved God and God’s Word and relied on God’s power. Samson never asked, until a minute or two before he died, “Please, God, strengthen me” (Judges 16:28).

Unlike Samson, we need to frequently ask for some of the Lord God’s infinite strength, almightiness, and omnipotence. That’s what life is all about. We can’t do this life otherwise. Thankfully, God gladly and repeatedly offers His strength to us!

Consider these 25 inspiring, faith-building scriptures. They talk about God’s strength and power for those who rely on Him alone. The key: frequently ask (don’t wait for a crisis!).

Bible Heroes Who Needed Strength

1. Abraham “did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God” (Romans 4:20).

2. The Lord told Joshua: “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” (Joshua 1:9).

3. David wrote, “Glory in his [the Lord’s] holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” (1 Chronicles 16:10-11).

4. David also wrote, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12).

5. Nehemiah prayed this bullet prayer to God, “Now strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9).

6. Nehemiah told the people, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Psalmists Who Wrote about Strength

7. David sang, “I love you, Lord, my strength” (Psalm 18:1).

8. David also sang, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people” (Psalm 28:7-8).

9. The Sons of Korah sang, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

10. Asaph sang, “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever” (Psalm 73:26). (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 below)

God’s Strength in the Prophets

11. Samuel anointed the new king and “from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David” (1 Samuel 16:13) and “he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him” (2 Samuel 5:10 and 1 Chronicles 11:9).

12. Hanani told King Asa, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

13. Isaiah wrote, “This is what the Sovereign Lord...says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength’” (Isaiah 30:15).

14. Isaiah also wrote: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:26-31).

15. Habakkuk affirmed: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:19).

16. Zechariah confirmed: “‘I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will live securely,’ declares the Lord” (Zechariah 10:12).

Bible Verses about Strength in the Apostles

17. Paul wrote, “But he [God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Compare this to Psalm 73:26 above.

18. Paul prayed: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he [God] has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:18-20).

19. Paul also prayed: “I pray that out of his [our heavenly Father’s] glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).

20. Paul affirmed: “I can do all this through him [Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

21. Paul prayed for believers to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father” (Colossians 1:10-12).

22. As well, Paul prayed: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).

23. In addition: “May he [the Lord] strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (1 Thessalonians 3:13).

24. What’s more: “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

25. Last but not least, the apostle Peter wrote: “If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).

Bottom Line: The Lord God wants you and me to frequently ask for His strength to do this life.

The verses above include not just praying, but also looking to God, seeking Him, rejoicing in Him, loving Him, being filled with His Holy Spirit, resting in the Lord, and thanking Him in advance for what He’s going to do.

Then again, these activities (including rest!) tend to go together, don’t they? It’s what many Bible teachers of past generations called the normal Christian life.

Today and in the coming days, may you receive and recognize God’s strength at work in your life—and rejoice with Him and others!

Further Reading

Strength Bible Verses

25 Bible Verses for Strength to Stand Strong in Hard Times

Bible Verses about Strength

 Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/BulatSilvia 

The late David Sanford’s book and Bible projects were published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, Barbour, and Amazon. His latest book was Life Map Devotional for Men published concurrently with his wife Renee’s book, Life Map Devotional for Women.