This list gives you Scripture and prayers to read, write and pray during a women’s retreat, whether you are planning the weekend, leading a session or simply attending with a heart that needs steadying. The verses are chosen for the rhythms of retreat life: the drive out, the first quiet hour, the hard conversation over breakfast, and the long walk home. Each one points toward God’s presence, faithfulness and care for the people who love him, which is why they fit a gathering of women who want to be encouraged together.
Verses for Arriving and Settling In
The first hours of a retreat often carry tiredness from the week behind you and a mix of hope and nerves about what lies ahead. These verses speak to that moment of stepping out of the car, unpacking your bag and wondering whether you belong in the room.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
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When you first sit down, the noise of your phone and your to-do list is still ringing in your ears. Let this verse be the first thing you read, and take three slow breaths before you open your bag. Stillness is not something you earn after the work is done; it is where the weekend begins.
Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
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Many women arrive carrying caregiving, grief or a job that never sleeps. Jesus names exactly that weight and invites you to set it down. Tonight, before the first session, write one burden on a card and place it on the table beside your bed.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.
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Some retreats bring a season of waters you are still wading through, such as a diagnosis, a marriage under strain or a child who has gone quiet. This promise is not that the water will vanish but that God will be with you in it. Name the one current you feel most and pray for steadiness in it.
Verses for Honest Conversation and Sisterhood
A retreat gathers women from different churches, ages and seasons into small groups and shared meals. These verses help you listen well, speak truthfully and remember that the others at the table are carrying their own quiet struggles.
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
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Iron sharpens iron only when the pieces meet with friction. In your small group, expect a moment of real disagreement or a question that stings a little, and treat it as an opportunity to grow rather than a threat. Ask one follow-up question before you offer your own answer.
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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Bearing one another’s burdens is not a slogan for the weekend; it is a practice that begins with noticing who is quiet at lunch. Choose one woman today and ask her how she is really doing. Then listen longer than feels comfortable.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up.
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Two are better than one because one can help the other up when she falls. Think of a sister at this retreat whom you could help this week, perhaps with a ride, a prayer or a text after you go home. Write her name in the margin of your notebook.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
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Rejoicing and weeping together is harder than either alone, because it asks you to be present to someone else’s joy or sorrow without rushing to fix it. When a woman shares good news at the table, celebrate it aloud. When another shares pain, simply stay in the chair beside her.
Verses for Courage and Renewed Purpose
Retreats often end with a sense of being sent back out, whether to a family, a church or a workplace. These verses help you carry clarity and courage home, even when the next step feels uncertain.
Joshua 1:9
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.”
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God’s command to Joshua came at a threshold moment, just before a people crossed into unfamiliar land. Think about the first thing you will face on Monday morning and speak this verse aloud before you face it. Courage here is less about feeling brave and more about trusting who goes with you.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
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Waiting on the Lord is an active posture of attention, not a passive delay. Use the last morning of the retreat to sit quietly for ten minutes and ask God what he wants you to set aside this season. Then write down one small way you will rest in the coming week.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
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Paul connects anxiety with prayer, offering thanksgiving as the bridge between worry and peace. Before you leave, pray about the single worry you most want to take home, and thank God for one specific provision you have already seen this weekend. Keep that thanks in your phone as a reminder.
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
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This verse gathers justice, mercy and humility into one simple invitation. As you pack up, think of one practical act of mercy you can offer your household, your neighbor or a coworker this week. Make it small enough to actually happen.
Psalm 121:7-8
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.
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The road home can feel long, especially after emotional weekends. This psalm promises protection for your coming and going, which makes it a good verse to read in the car before you turn the key. Pray it for the drive and for the people waiting for you at the other end.
How to Use These Verses
Write your chosen verses on index cards or in the back of your journal, and place them where you will see them during the weekend: beside your bed, on the bathroom mirror or inside your Bible cover. Reading one card each morning and one each evening keeps the weekend rhythm steady without turning it into a checklist.
Pray the verses rather than only reading them. Turn each one into a sentence addressed to God, such as “Lord, help me be still today,” and carry that sentence into your session, your meal or your walk. Share one verse with your small group at the close of the day so that the whole gathering hears what God is doing in each heart.
A Short Prayer for a Women’s Retreat
Father, thank you for gathering us here, women who are tired, hopeful, grieving and grateful all at once. Quiet our hearts so that we can hear your voice above the noise we carried in with us. Teach us to listen well to one another, to speak with honesty and kindness, and to bear each other’s burdens without pride. Meet the woman who feels she has nothing to offer, and remind her that you have already given her enough. When we return to our homes, let these days shape how we love and serve. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
A Blessing
May the Lord who called you here go with you when you leave. May he steady your steps on the road, strengthen your hands for the work ahead and keep your heart soft toward the sisters you have come to know. May you carry rest into your home and courage into your week. The Lord bless you and keep you, and make his face shine on you. Amen.
