This list gives you Bible verses to read, pray and carry through a women’s retreat, whether you are planning the weekend, leading a session, or attending as a participant looking for something to hold onto. The verses are grouped by the moments a retreat tends to bring: the early mornings, the hard conversations, the quiet afternoons and the goodbyes. What they share is a steady picture of a God who meets people where they are and invites them to slow down and receive.
Verses for the Quiet Morning Before the Retreat Begins
Many women arrive at a retreat tired, distracted and carrying more than they admit. These first verses are meant to be read in a bedroom, a car or a chapel corner before the day’s schedule takes over, so that the weekend starts with God rather than with the agenda.
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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This verse invites you to stop striving and simply know that God is God. Before the first session, try reading it slowly, then sit for two minutes without a phone or a list. Let the stillness be the first thing you offer the weekend.
Matthew 11:28-29
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.
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Jesus speaks to people who are worn out and heavy laden, which describes many women arriving at a retreat. Notice what he asks for first: that you come. Name one burden you are carrying into the weekend and place it, in words, before him.
Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
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The psalmist calls the day something God has made, which means even an exhausting schedule belongs to him. Choose one ordinary moment of the first morning, such as the coffee or the walk to the meeting room, and thank God for it specifically.
Verses for Sharing Honestly in Small Groups
Small groups are where a retreat either becomes real or stays polite. These verses speak to the courage it takes to be known, and to the care women owe one another when someone finally opens up. They are useful to read aloud before a discussion begins.
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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Paul ties bearing one another’s burdens to fulfilling the law of Christ, so this is practical love rather than sentiment. In your group, make a point of asking a second question when someone shares something heavy, and then listen to the answer.
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
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Iron sharpens iron, and the image is of friction that improves both pieces. Expect some honest disagreement in a good group and treat it as sharpening rather than threat. Before you respond to a view you find difficult, ask one clarifying question.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.
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Paul urges believers to encourage one another and build each other up, which is what small groups exist to do. Before the group closes, name one specific strength you noticed in another woman that week and tell her.
James 5:16
Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
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Confession and prayer belong together in the life of the church, and the promise attached is healing and power in prayer. If you feel led to share a struggle, keep it simple and invite the group to pray with you, not only for you.
Verses for Rest, Solitude and Afternoon Reflection
A retreat usually includes unstructured hours that can feel either like a gift or like a problem. These verses are for the open afternoon, the walk alone, or the chair by the window where a woman may finally notice how tired she is.
Mark 6:31
He said to them, “You come apart into a deserted place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
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Jesus tells his disciples to come away to a quiet place and rest, even when the crowds were pressing. Give yourself permission to skip one activity this afternoon, and count that choice as obedience rather than laziness.
Psalm 23:1-3
1 The LORD is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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The shepherd makes his sheep lie down in green pastures and leads them beside still waters, and the imagery is of provision before performance. Take a slow walk, and at each pause name one thing the Lord has supplied this week.
Isaiah 30:15
For thus said the Lord the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, “You will be saved in returning and rest. Your strength will be in quietness and in confidence.” You refused…
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Isaiah says that in quietness and trust is strength, a message to a people who preferred to rush for help. Sit with your hands open for five minutes, and let the restlessness pass without trying to fix it.
Psalm 62:1
My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him.
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The psalmist waits in silence for God, and that waiting is a posture of trust rather than emptiness. When your mind wanders, bring it back gently to one line of this verse and let it be enough for the moment.
Verses for Sending Women Home
The last session of a retreat often carries a mix of gratitude, grief and worry about what happens on Monday. These verses help women leave with a sense that the Lord who met them at the retreat goes home with them too.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
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Paul is confident that the God who began a good work will complete it, which speaks to the unfinished feeling many women have when they leave. Write down one thing you hope God is still doing in you and keep it where you will see it.
Numbers 6:24-26
24 ‘The LORD bless you, and keep you. 25 The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. 26 The LORD lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’
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This is the blessing Aaron was to speak over the people, and it describes God’s face turned toward his people. Before you drive home, say these words over the woman beside you, or quietly over yourself.
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 commands Joshua to be strong and courageous because he is with him wherever he goes. Choose one situation waiting for you at home and ask God for the courage that matches it, not in your strength but in his presence.
Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Paul prays that God will fill believers with joy and peace as they trust him, and that they will overflow with hope. Use this as your closing prayer before you leave the building, and hold on to the word hope when the weekend feels far away.
How to Use These Verses
Write the verses you choose on index cards or in the front of your journal, one per card, so they are easy to carry from session to session. If you are leading the retreat, consider printing the references on the program so women can look them up together. Reading one verse aloud at the start of each session gives the weekend a shared rhythm without adding much time.
Pray the verses rather than only reading them. Turn a line into a request or a thanksgiving, such as asking God to give you the stillness of Psalm 46 or thanking him for the blessing of Numbers 6. Return to the same verse at the end of the day to see what has changed in you since the morning.
A Short Prayer for a Women’s Retreat
Lord, thank you for calling us to come away with you and for making room for rest in a busy life. Quiet our hearts so we can hear your voice above the noise of our schedules and our worries. Help us to be honest with one another, to bear each other’s burdens and to speak words that build up rather than tear down. Meet each woman here in the place where she most needs you, and send us home knowing that you go with us. Amen.
