The Bible joins strength and love from the first commandment: "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30). David sang, "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength" (Psalm 18:1), and Paul prayed that believers would "know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19).
People search for verses about strength and love when someone they care about is sick, grieving or worn out, when they are writing a card, or when they need both for themselves: the strength to keep going and the assurance that they are loved. In Scripture the two belong together. God's love is the source of real strength, and strength is given so that we can love others well. These twelve King James verses show where the Bible joins love and strength, how God's love strengthens the weary, and how to pass that strength on. For strength alone, see strength; for God's love, see God's love.
Verses that join love and strength
1. Psalms 18:1
"I will love thee, O LORD, my strength."
David sang Psalm 18 on the day the LORD delivered him from Saul (see the title of the psalm and 2 Samuel 22:1). His first words are a love song: before he lists what God did, he says he loves the God who is his strength. Love for God and dependence on Him grow together.
2. Mark 12:30
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."
Jesus called this the first commandment, quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Loving God with all thy strength means love is not only a feeling; it uses our energy, time and effort. The second commandment, to love your neighbour, follows in Mark 12:31. See loving thy neighbor.
3. Psalms 31:23-24
"O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD."
The psalm moves from a call to love the LORD to a promise: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Strength here is a gift to those who hope in Him, not something we work up on our own. See courage.
4. Psalms 59:17
"Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy."
David wrote this psalm while Saul's men were watching his house to kill him (see the psalm's title and 1 Samuel 19:11). He calls God his strength and the God of his mercy in the same breath. In a dangerous night he chose to sing.
Strengthened by the love of God
5. Romans 8:35
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
Paul lists the hardest things a person can face, from tribulation to the sword, and asks whether any of them can separate us from Christ's love. The answer comes in Romans 8:37-39: nothing can. That certainty is where Christian strength begins.
6. Ephesians 3:18-19
"May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."
Paul prays that believers, already strengthened by the Spirit and rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:16-17), would grasp how wide, long, deep and high Christ's love is. It passes knowledge, yet we can still know it and be filled by it.
7. Hosea 11:4
"I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them."
God describes how He led Israel like a loving parent: with cords of a man, with bands of love, lifting the yoke and feeding them. God's strength is gentle. He draws people rather than drives them.
8. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."
Paul prays that the God who loved us would comfort hearts and stablish, or strengthen, them in every good word and work. It is a ready-made blessing for a card to someone who is struggling.
Love and strength to share with others
9. Romans 15:1
"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."
Strength in the Christian life is given to be shared. Those who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, just as Christ did not please Himself (Romans 15:3). See helping other people.
10. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."
Paul asks the Lord to make love increase and abound, so that hearts would be stablished, made firm, before God. Growing love and a steady heart are answered in the same prayer.
11. 2 Thessalonians 3:5
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."
A short prayer to pray over someone you love: that the Lord would direct their hearts into God's love and into the patient waiting for Christ. It fits a bookmark, a text message or the inside of a card.
12. 2 Corinthians 13:11
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."
Paul's farewell to a church that had hurt him is full of hope: be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Strength for relationships comes from the God of love Himself.
A short prayer
Father, You are my strength, and I love You. When I am weak, hold me with bands of love and remind me that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. Strengthen my heart, and make my love for the people around me increase and abound, so that I can carry their burdens as You carry mine. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Carry one verse a week with you on the Scripture Memory Cards · Print our free Bible verse bookmarks to tuck into a card · Pray for someone you love daily with the 30-Day Prayer Journal
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Bible verse for strength and love?
Psalm 18:1 joins both in a single line: "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength" (Psalm 18:1). For someone who is struggling, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 asks the God "which hath loved us" (2 Thessalonians 2:16) to comfort and stablish their hearts. Mark 12:30 shows that love itself uses all of our strength.
What verse can I write in a card for someone who needs strength and love?
Short lines work best. Try "the God of love and peace shall be with you" (2 Corinthians 13:11), "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart" (Psalm 31:24), or "the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God" (2 Thessalonians 3:5). Add a personal line and the person's name. For printable verse designs, see our free Bible verse bookmarks.
Does God give strength to people who feel weak?
Yes. Isaiah says "He giveth power to the faint" (Isaiah 40:29), and Paul heard the Lord say, "my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). God's strength is not a reward for people who already feel strong; it is His gift to those who come to Him tired. See strength in hard times.
How are love and strength connected in the Bible?
Love is the reason God strengthens us and the goal of the strength He gives. He loved us first (1 John 4:19), His love holds us when everything else fails (Romans 8:35), and He makes us strong so that we can bear the infirmities of the weak (Romans 15:1). Paul even tells a church to be strong and then to do everything with charity (1 Corinthians 16:13-14), the KJV word for love.
If you or someone you love is facing a serious illness, grief or a crisis, keep leaning on doctors, counselors and your church as well as on Scripture. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, in the US call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Bible verses about strength · Bible verses about God's love · Bible verses about strength in hard times · Bible verses about encouragement to others · Bible verses about love · Bible verses about discouragement · Bible verses about a break up · Bible verses for a marriage anniversary
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