One verse holds both: "The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11). Isaiah adds that "in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15), and an angel told the trembling Daniel, "fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong" (Daniel 10:19).
Strength and peace can sound like opposites, one about pushing forward and the other about being still. In Scripture they come from the same God. People look for these verses before a big decision or a new year, in a season of anxiety, when the news is frightening, or for a card to someone who needs both. These twelve King James verses show the LORD who gives strength and peace, the quiet strength that peace brings, and God's commands to be strong that come with a promise of His peace. For peace alone, see peace; for strength alone, see strength.
The LORD gives strength and peace
1. Psalms 29:11
"The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace."
Psalm 29 describes a terrifying thunderstorm in which the voice of the LORD breaks cedars and shakes the wilderness (Psalm 29:5-8). It ends with this calm promise: the God who rules the storm gives His people strength in it and peace after it. This verse also appears as a blessing on our Christmas card page.
2. Isaiah 26:12
"LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us."
Isaiah is confident that God will ordain peace for His people, because every good thing they had done was His work in them. A few verses earlier is the promise of perfect peace for the mind that is stayed on God (Isaiah 26:3).
3. Psalms 85:8
"I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly."
The psalmist waits to hear what God will say, sure that He will speak peace unto his people. Strength often begins with listening: a quiet moment in God's Word before the noise of the day. See seeking the Lord.
4. Daniel 10:19
"And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me."
Daniel had no strength left after a vision (Daniel 10:8, 10:17). The angel's words came with a touch, and Daniel said, thou hast strengthened me. God's peace and God's strength often arrive together, through His word.
Quiet strength and steady peace
5. Isaiah 32:17
"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever."
Righteousness produces peace, and its effect is quietness and assurance for ever. A clear conscience and a life put right with God bring a settled strength that noise and pressure cannot easily shake.
6. Psalms 119:165
"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."
Great peace belongs to those who love God's law, and nothing shall offend them, that is, nothing will make them stumble. Loving God's Word gives steady footing when circumstances keep shifting.
7. Psalms 37:11
"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Jesus quoted the first half of this verse in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:5). The meek are not weak; they are strong enough to wait for God instead of fretting (Psalm 37:7-8), and they delight in the abundance of peace. See humility.
8. Judges 6:23
"And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die."
Gideon was threshing wheat in hiding when God called him a mighty man of valour (Judges 6:11-12). When he panicked, the LORD said, Peace be unto thee; fear not. Gideon then built an altar and named it Jehovah-shalom, the LORD is peace (Judges 6:24). Peace came before the strength to act.
Be strong, and I will give peace
9. Haggai 2:4
"Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:"
The returned exiles were discouraged because the new temple looked like nothing next to Solomon's (Haggai 2:3). God told them three times to be strong and to work, for I am with you. This strength is for ordinary, unfinished work.
10. Haggai 2:9
"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts."
Then came the promise for that small, unimpressive building: in this place will I give peace. Work that looks small to us can be filled with God's glory. The same is true of quiet, faithful work today.
11. Ephesians 2:14
"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;"
Christ himself is our peace. He broke down the wall between Jew and Gentile and made peace with God through the cross (Ephesians 2:13-16). Strength to make peace with others starts with the peace He has already made. See unity.
12. Romans 16:20
"And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
The God of peace is also the God who will bruise Satan under your feet, echoing the first promise in Genesis 3:15. Peace in the Bible is not weakness: the God of peace wins the battle. See victory.
A short prayer
LORD, You give strength to Your people and bless them with peace. I bring You my anxious thoughts and my tired strength. Speak peace to me through Your Word, and make me strong for the work in front of me today. Let Your peace rule in my heart, and help me to be a peacemaker with others. 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What Bible verse talks about strength and peace together?
Psalm 29:11 is the clearest: "The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace." Daniel 10:19 joins them in one sentence too: "peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong." In Haggai 2, God tells discouraged builders to be strong (Haggai 2:4) and then promises, "in this place will I give peace" (Haggai 2:9).
How can I have strength and peace when I feel anxious?
Start where the Bible starts: bring your worries to God in prayer, with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6-7). Then take in His Word slowly, one verse at a time, because "Great peace have they which love thy law" (Psalm 119:165). Rest, sleep and talking with someone you trust are part of God's care too. See anxiety and stress.
What does Isaiah 30:15 mean by quietness and confidence?
God told Judah, "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15). Judah wanted to rush to Egypt for military help instead of trusting the LORD, and the verse ends sadly: they would not. The lesson is that real strength often looks like turning back to God and waiting on Him, not frantic activity. See distraction.
Is peace in the Bible just the absence of conflict?
No. The Hebrew word shalom means wholeness and well-being: peace with God (Romans 5:1), peace within (Isaiah 26:3) and peace with others (Romans 12:18). Jesus promised peace in the middle of trouble: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). That is why biblical peace and strength can exist together in a storm.
If anxiety is constant, keeps you from sleeping or working, or comes with thoughts of harming yourself, please talk to a doctor or licensed counselor; that is wise care, not weak faith. 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 for peace · Bible verses about strength · Bible verses about anxiety · Bible verses about stress · Bible verses about comfort and strength · Bible verses about strength and healing · Bible verses for strength and love · Bible verses about war
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