Practical Help and Bible Verses When Discouraged

The other day I was feeling down, and I realized I didn’t have a game plan. I’m a person of habit, so it makes sense to have some go-to Bible verses for when discouraged. So I wondered, what do I want my response to be at times like this? What else will help?

So I got a plan prepared to have ready for whenever discouragement hits. Not only do I look at several practical solutions, but I have to respond biblically and stand on specific Bible verses if I want to overcome discouragement. Let’s take a look at this plan in more detail.

5 Practical Solutions for When You’re Feeling Down

Sometimes the only solution you need is to adjust your life in practical ways. And it helps to know that. If you know the reason you’re feeling down or discouraged is due to a physical problem, you won’t let it escalate into a long lasting depression. 

Check Your Health

• Are you getting enough sleep? I’d already been dealing with insomnia for about an hour and a half when my toddler came to me one night. She was scared. Two hours later we were finally both sleeping soundly. The next day she asked me, “Mama, why do I feel sad?” I told her, “I’m feeling it too, Darling. It’s just because we didn’t get near enough sleep last night.”
• Are your hormones off? I remember dealing with postpartum depression after having one of my kids. I didn’t know what it was at the time, so I went to the doctor. Do what you need to do in the natural. There’s no shame in that.
• Are you getting enough sunlight? There’s a condition called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a type of seasonal depression, that affects people through the fall and winter. I tend to feel down on overcast or rainy days. Give me the sun every time!
• Are you absorbing more bad news than good? There’s definitely a lot going on right now, and it’s good to keep up. But I only read my news, not watch it. I don’t want it going in my ears as well! Balance that out that bad news with some Christian comedy. My favorite is Michael Jr. “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT).
• Are you getting enough down time with friends and/or hobbies? It’s usually a great way to relax or relieve stress. 

How to Respond When You’re Discouraged

Sometimes, however, discouragement stems from dealing with discontentment, relationship problems/ past hurts, spiritual attacks, or unwelcome circumstances. It’s easier said than done of course, but I try not to let my circumstances keep me down (for long anyway!). There are times when I blow them out of proportion, and it’s really no big deal. Or I realize God is working on me. No matter what the reason is, there are a few ways we can choose to respond whenever discouragement hits.

Encourage Yourself in the Lord

David is probably my favorite Bible character. But he’s not just a Bible character, he was a real man with real problems. He came home one day to a burned city and everyone taken captive. After David and those that were with him wept, they all blamed David and wanted to stone him. “But David encouraged himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV). Next he asked God for instructions and finally did what God told him to do. Remember, God never leaves you but gives you wisdom and the strength to keep moving forward!

Learn from Paul and Silas

We can learn something from when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for sharing the Gospel (Acts 16:19-24). They didn’t know what the outcome would be, and they might have remembered how John didn’t make it out of prison alive. If I were in their shoes, I for sure would be praying, but I don’t know that I’d be praising God! But doing so must have lifted their spirits!

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. – Acts 16:25 NKJV

Memorize Bible Verses When Discouraged

You know how when you’re feeling discouraged, you don’t really feel like cracking open your Bible? That’s been my experience, at least! That’s why memorizing verses to help fight discouragement will help you. You can begin meditating on the following verses, and it will begin to lift your spirit.

Bible Verses for When You’re Discouraged

Psalm 42:5 NKJV

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. (Almost the exact same words are repeated in Psalm 42:11 and Psalm 43:5!)

Psalm 55:22 NKJV

Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 27:14 NKJV

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalm 62:8 NKJV

Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Matthew 11:28 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

1 Peter 5:7 NKJV

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Philippians 4:4 NKJV

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Jesus Gets It 

Jesus knows what you’re going through when you’re feeling down or discouraged. He experienced something like this while He was on the earth right before He went to the cross.

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” – Matthew 26:37-38 NKJV

So check your health, but even if the problem stems from a physical imbalance, do the other things to stay spiritually strong anyway. Learn and memorize some of the verses for when you’re discouraged. Even if it’s just a couple of them, you will still overcome discouragement! 

What are your favorite verses for when you’re discouraged? What else can you add to this list for when you’re feeling down? Share in the comments below!