Sixteen verses for lifting someone up, including yourself, grouped by who the encouragement is for.
Only one verse in the psalms uses the word encourage in a good sense, Psalm 138:3: you encouraged me with strength in my soul. Yet the book is full of encouragement. Some verses speak it over another person, as Psalm 20 does. Some are the writer talking to their own soul. Others are testimony, told so that someone else will hear it. This page gives short verses first, then sorts the rest by those three voices.
Each pick shows the World English Bible text with a note on what it says. The blessings in the second group are written to another person, so they suit a card or a message. Tick the ones you want and print them as one sheet.
One line each, easy to keep in a pocket or on a screen.
In the day that I called, you answered me.You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
The one verse where the World English Bible psalms use encourage in a good sense. The pattern is simple: I called, you answered, and the answer was strength in my soul.
Though he stumble, he shall not fall,for the LORD holds him up with his hand.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Though he stumble, he shall not fall. The verse expects stumbling. The encouragement is the hand that holds him up.
The LORD upholds all who fall,and raises up all those who are bowed down.
The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
Two kinds of people are named: all who fall and all who are bowed down. The LORD upholds the first and raises up the second.
When I said, “My foot is slipping!”Your loving kindness, LORD, held me up.
When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
The verse recalls saying my foot is slipping, and what happened next: your loving kindness, LORD, held me up.
But you, LORD, are a shield around me,my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
The heading attributes this psalm to David when he fled from his son Absalom. Even then the writer calls God the one who lifts up my head.
For you will light my lamp, LORD.My God will light up my darkness.
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
A short promise about darkness: my God will light up my darkness. The verse does not deny the dark. It says who will light it.
Blessings spoken to you rather than about me. They read naturally in a card, a text or a note to a friend.
May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble.May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high,
The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
Psalm 20 is addressed to someone else from its first line: may the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. It is a blessing for a friend facing something hard.
May he grant you your heart’s desire,and fulfill all your counsel.
Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
It asks that the other person's heart's desire be granted and their counsel fulfilled. The hopes are theirs, not the speaker's.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in,from this time forward, and forever more.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Going out and coming in covers every departure and return. The blessing runs from this time forward, and forever more.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us.Establish the work of our hands for us.Yes, establish the work of our hands.
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Establish the work of our hands, said twice. It is a prayer for us rather than a blessing to you, so it suits a shared project, and it asks that what is built will last.
The psalm writers often speak to their own soul. These verses are that kind of self-talk.
Praise the LORD, my soul,and don’t forget all his benefits,
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
The writer instructs their own soul: don't forget all his benefits. Encouragement here is an act of memory.
Return to your rest, my soul,for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Return to your rest, my soul. The reason given is past kindness: the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
Wake up, my glory! Wake up, lute and harp!I will wake up the dawn.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
Wake up, my glory. The heading attributes the psalm to David in the cave while fleeing from Saul, and the writer still plans to wake the dawn with lute and harp.
Testimony. The writer has been through it and says so, often so that others will hear.
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit,out of the miry clay.He set my feet on a rock,and gave me a firm place to stand.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
Pit and miry clay, then a rock and a firm place to stand. The verse moves from stuck to standing in one line, and the next verse says many shall see it.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,and saved him out of all his troubles.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him. The heading ties the psalm to the time David pretended to be insane before Abimelech.
Come and hear, all you who fear God.I will declare what he has done for my soul.
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
An open invitation: come and hear, and I will declare what he has done for my soul. Encouragement here is a story told to others.
Psalm 138:3 is the one verse that names it: you encouraged me with strength in my soul. For a whole psalm, Psalm 20 is written as encouragement to another person.
Psalm 37:24, Psalm 145:14, Psalm 3:3 and Psalm 18:28 are each one line. They speak of being held up, raised up, and having a lamp lit in the dark.
Psalm 138:3 joins them in one line. Psalm 27:14 and Psalm 31:24 both say be strong, and let your heart take courage.
The King James Version does not use encourage in Psalm 138:3. It reads: and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. Its only use of the word in the psalms is Psalm 64:5, about people who encourage themselves in an evil matter.
Psalm 20:1 to 4 is written to another person from the start: may the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. Psalm 121:7 and 8 also speak to you rather than about me.
Psalms About StrengthPsalms of HopePsalms for Strength and CouragePsalms for Comfort and StrengthPsalms for Blessing and FavorPsalms About Friendship