If you've searched bible verses about strength or what does the Bible say about strength, you are almost certainly running low on your own. That is exactly the place scripture speaks to. The Bible's view of strength is not the gritted-teeth, pull-yourself-together kind. It is the strength of a person who has reached the end of their own and discovered that God's begins right there.
The most-quoted verse on the subject is Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Read in context, Paul is not talking about winning games or closing deals — he is talking about contentment in hunger and plenty, in abundance and need. The strength he names is the strength to endure. Isaiah 40:31 makes the same promise to the worn-out: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Then there is the verse that turns our instincts upside down. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God tells Paul, "My strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul's response is not resignation but relief: he would rather glory in his infirmities, "that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Weakness, in scripture, is not the disqualification we fear — it is the doorway through which God's power arrives.
Isaiah 41:10 and Joshua 1:9 anchor the promise in God's presence: "Be strong and of a good courage… for the Lord thy God is with thee." Psalm 46:1 calls him "a very present help in trouble," and Psalm 28:7, "my strength and my shield." Ephesians 6:10 gathers it into a command that is really an invitation: "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" — his might, not yours.
If you are exhausted today, the verses below are not a demand to perform. They are a place to rest while a strength that is not your own holds you up. See also courage, perseverance, and fear.
Verses
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalms 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Psalms 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
Reflection
Where are you trying to be strong on your own, and what would it look like to let God carry it instead?
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