Some of the best sermons you'll ever hear are preached by a ridgeline at sunrise. Scripture was written by shepherds, fishermen and wilderness wanderers — people who knew the weight of a pack and the cold of a night outside. Here are 25 verses to carry with you, grouped by the moment you'll need them.
Quotations are from the ESV.
At the trailhead: before you set out
- Psalm 121:1–2 — "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth." A pilgrim song, sung on the uphill road. Start every climb here.
- Proverbs 3:5–6 — "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
- Deuteronomy 31:8 — "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you." He's on the trail ahead of you.
- Joshua 1:9 — "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Wherever includes the backcountry.
- Psalm 119:105 — "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Written before headlamps. Still true after them.
On the climb: when your legs are done
- Isaiah 40:31 — "They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
- Habakkuk 3:19 — "GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."
- Psalm 18:33 — "He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights."
- Isaiah 41:10 — "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you."
- Nehemiah 8:10 — "The joy of the LORD is your strength." Joy is fuel. Ration it badly and you'll bonk.
- Galatians 6:9 — "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
At the summit: when the view takes your breath
- Psalm 19:1 — "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."
- Psalm 95:4 — "In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also."
- Romans 1:20 — His "eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." The view is an argument.
- Psalm 104:24 — "O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all."
- Isaiah 55:12 — "The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
By the water and the fire: when you finally stop
- Psalm 23:1–3 — "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul."
- Psalm 46:10 — "Be still, and know that I am God." Turn the phone off for this one.
- Matthew 6:26 — "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." Jesus pointed at creation to teach trust — the lead-up to Matthew 6:33.
- Matthew 6:28–29 — "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
- Mark 1:35 — "Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." Jesus had a dawn habit outdoors.
Under the stars: before you sleep
- Psalm 8:3–4 — "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?"
- Genesis 1:1 — "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Everything you saw today starts here.
- Isaiah 43:2 — "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you."
- Matthew 6:33 — "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." The verse this whole outfit is named after.
How to actually use these on the trail
- Pick one per trip, not 25. Write it on the back of your hand or tape it to your water bottle.
- Say it at every water stop. Repetition is how scripture moves from your head to your legs.
- Pray the summit verse out loud at the top. It feels awkward for about four seconds.
- Bring someone. "Two are better than one… if they fall, one will lift up his fellow" (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10). A trail is one of the easiest places to talk about God with a friend — see how to share your faith without being weird.
Want a daily rhythm that lasts longer than one hike? The free 30-Day Seek First Challenge gives you one short scripture and one small action a day.
Seek first. Stay ready.