“Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””
Context: A command given three times in one chapter as Joshua takes on leadership he did not ask for.
Bible Verses About Courage
Courage in the Bible is almost always assigned rather than admired. Someone is told to be strong because of a task in front of them.
These passages come from the edge of rivers, the inside of palaces and the aftermath of arrests. Read them with the chapter open.
Compiled and reviewed by the Verse & Light editorial team · last reviewed 2026-09-20 · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
The passages
“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD.”
Context: Courage here is tied to hope — the heart is strengthened by what it expects, not by temperament.
“Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong! Let all that you do be done in love.”
Context: A short burst of instructions, with love placed immediately after the call to be brave.
“For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?””
Context: Mordecai's argument to Esther: her position may exist for exactly this moment.
“Now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy Servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were gathered together. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Context: After being threatened, the believers pray for boldness rather than for safety.
“For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’”
Context: The picture is a hand being held, which is a gentler image of courage than we often expect.
Questions to sit with
- What is the brave thing you already know you need to do?
- What would doing it 'in love', as Paul puts it, change about how you do it?
- Who could stand with you while you do it?
A prayer
Original devotional writing by the Verse & Light editorial team — not part of the Bible text
God, make me braver than I feel for the thing in front of me, and kind while I do it. Amen.
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