20 Bible Verses for Anxiety

Earlier this week, a friend asked me for where I find bible verses for anxiety.

You see, her daughter was in the vicinity of a recent mass-shooting and she was having a hard time dealing with the tragedy, the danger her daughter was in, and the alarming state of our nation. ?

I’m going to share some of the scriptures that have helped me below but first want to say that if you’ve ever dealt with anxiety, you know how it can totally derail your life. It steals not only your emotional health but also your purpose and mission.

Sounds like an enemy tactic, right? Especially when God’s word says He does not give us the spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.

Let’s think about that for a second… because a tactic of the enemy is to convince us of everything OPPOSITE these things.

I’ve learned we sometimes need friends to help remind us of the spiritual battle. They help us fight and avoid the pit of anxiety. I’m thankful my friend Sandra reached out for help when she needed it.

In his book, “An All-Around Ministry, “Charles Spurgeon writes:

“I now propose to dwell upon the necessity of renewing grace. If any of us have come down from the heights, it is time that we returned to them again. If we have fallen from our first love, it is most needful that we should at once renew the ardour of our youth. If we have gone down even in a small degree, it behoves us to ask for help to get back what we have lost. Beloved brethren, we cannot afford to remain in any state lower than the very best. I believe the headway of God’s cause in the world depends upon our being in prime condition.”

The headway of God’s cause in the world… and in your life and family… depends on you being in prime condition.

Are you in prime spiritual condition?

Or would you describe yourself more as anxious, fretful, distracted, pulled in a thousand directions, apathetic, overwhelmed, sick, or full of fear?

What is needful for you to “at once renew the ardour of your youth?”

It’s a good question to consider as you peel back the layers surrounding anxiety. Let me share a specific time of how anxiety threatened my spiritual walk with God…

When I became anxious

My friend’s question took me back to one horrifying night I experienced on the mission field. My husband was out of the country for training and I was home alone with our firstborn son, a mere 6 months old.

I went to bed that night, not worried about a thing. However, around 3am, I woke suddenly for no apparent reason. I remember coming to my senses in slow motion, even though it all happened in a fraction of a second. I became aware of the fan in the room, whirring overhead and the full length curtains moving in response.

Then, I saw the man enter.

He came from around the corner and into my room. He was a short man, wearing a jacket and carrying a knife. I knew my and my son’s lives were in danger.

I also knew instinctively that if I made a sound, I would be dead. So I froze and was absolutely silent. I heard the blood pounding in my ears and worried he’d hear me breathing too loudly.

I watched as the man opened our wardrobe and began going through our belongings. I watched as he gathered up my bags and personal belongings.

My mind was going 90 miles an hour, trying to plan for what to do, how to be safe, and most of all, how to get to my son in the room next door.

I knew I had to get to my son, so with a lot of praying (and divine wisdom that only came from God) I coughed and pretended to be tossing in my sleep. This scared the guy and he exited my room (later I discovered it only scared him into the living room where he put his muddy boot on the couch and took the time to go through all the bags he’d taken from the wardrobe. He left the ones he didn’t want on the couch.)

After what seemed forever, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom and turned on the light, then prayed like I’ve never prayed before entering into the living room.

As I did, I could see the man through the living room curtains- he was out on the balcony, lighting up a cigarette.

I high tailed it into my son’s room and closed the door. He was safe and sleeping soundly!

The door lock was broken on my son’s door and the thief had stolen my phone- so I had no choice but to lean against the door and pray for morning to come quickly.

My son and I were sparred that night. But I dealt with a LOT of fear, anger, and anxiety afterwards. Here we were foreigners in a country and someone had been stalking us – watching us- to take advantage when I and my small son were most vulnerable.

I felt violated in the worst kind of way. I struggled hard, y’all.

I was sent here to love these people; but how could I when I was angry, hurt, and anxious? How could I serve open-heartedly when my guard was so up and I felt so self-protective?

This week, when my friend asked me for scriptures, I immediately thought back to that time and the verses God used to minister to my heart. I was a wreck, not only emotionally, but spiritually.

But God is gracious and good.

He DID bring healing to my heart and spirit, so much that my husband and I served in that place for over 14 years. Praise God! Here are some of the Scriptures that God used to calm my anxious heart. (The first 3 especially. The others are ones I’ve turned to many times over the years.)

20 Bible Verses for Anxiety

John 10:7-15
Psalm 23
Psalm 121
II Timothy 1:7
Philippians 4:6-7
I Peter 5:7
Psalm 55:22
Matthew 6:25-34
John 14:1-3
Psalm 40:1-2
Matthew 8:25-26
John 16:33
Isaiah 41:10
Matthew 11:28-30
Psalm 34:17-18
Isaiah 43:2-5
Matthew 10:28-31
John 14:27
Psalm 46:1
Matthew 28:20

What does God say about anxiety?

As you read these verses, you will see that we worship a God that we can trust. He is worthy of our trust in the face of anxiety.

If your heart is feeling anxious today, I pray the peace that passes understanding will fill your heart as you meditate on these Scriptures.

That peace DOES exist and God IS able to give it to you.

_________________________________________________