Anxiety has reached epidemic levels in our society. If you struggle with anxiety, you can use Bible verses to calm your fears. By reading, studying and meditating on verses that deal with anxiety, you can find the peace that God promises to give you. Bible verses on anxiety can help you deal with daily stresses.

What Does the Bible Say About Anxiety?

When we look up anxiety in the Bible, we find that fear lies at its root. If you dig even deeper, you find that doubt lies behind fear. Doubt creates barriers between us and God. He wants us to trust him as our Father, Savior, Protector, and Redeemer.

When we look up Scripture for anxiety problems, we can apply what we learn to trust God more and cast out doubt and fear.

Anxiety and worry go hand in hand. You can feel anxiety about a true or imagined fear, then focus on it again and again with worry. Anxiety and worry are both roadblocks to God, who wants us to focus on his truth instead. We can study Bible verses about not worrying to strengthen our faith. Let’s look at several Bible verses on anxiety to help you overcome anxious thoughts and calm your fears.

Ask God to Test You

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. – Psalm 139:23

God already knows how much anxiety is in your heart. When you ask him to search and test your heart, he will bring your anxious thoughts to the surface. As your hidden anxieties see the light of God’s grace, he will set you free from the doubts and fears that lie underneath.

You will draw closer to him in a relationship of trust as you ask him to search and know you. He will lovingly correct and strengthen you because he longs to transform your thinking. When he reveals anxious thoughts to you, pray that he will help you think differently.

Choose a Different Outlook

Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up. – Proverbs 12:25

Do your anxieties feel heavy? Many people feel like their anxieties press down so hard that it can seem like a weight pressed on their chest, making it hard to breathe. When we don’t ask God to test our hearts and bring anxiety to light, it will weigh us down and we can’t move forward as quickly.

If you choose a different outlook, God will remove the weight of your anxieties. He wants you to focus on the positives in his word, which are uplifting and nourishing. A good place to find God’s encouragement is in the Psalms. Read them as if they are God’s love letter to you. His good Word will cheer up your heart and make it feel light as air.

Delight in God’s Comfort

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul. – Psalm 95:19

If you struggle with anxiety, you probably aren’t consumed with fear in only one area. You probably have a multitude of anxieties across the board. Some are big; some are small. Some are about legitimate concerns; others may be blown out of proportion. These myriad anxieties can wear you down. But God offers his comfort to you.

Like a strong father who tenderly cradles his child in his arms, God is waiting to comfort you with his presence. When you look to God for comfort in the middle of your anxieties, he will calm your fears. Take delight in God’s comfort. Let it be a soothing balm for the many anxieties you face.

Cast Your Cares on the Lord

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7

Have you ever gone fishing? You cast your line far away from the shore in the hopes of reaching big fish in the middle of the pond or river. In the same way, God calls us to cast our anxieties far away, where he can handle them much better than we can.

When we surrender our anxieties to him, he removes them from our hearts and minds. How can we trust that he will handle them on our behalf? Because he cares for us. He created us and sustains us. God the Father sent his Son to die for our sins so we can live with him forever if we believe.

Because God loves us so much, we can trust him to handle even our worst fears and doubts. Go ahead – throw your biggest anxieties on him! When you cast your cares on the Lord, the Holy Spirit will fill you with perfect peace.

Replace Worry With Prayer

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

God tells us exactly what to do when we are tempted to worry. The next time you feel worried, think about the need beneath your worry. For example, if you are worried about a relationship, consider your need for connection with others. Then tell God what you need and thank him for meeting that need with his own presence.

Once you do this, you will receive God’s peace which will guard your heart and mind against further anxieties. Repeat this sequence when you feel worried: pray, tell God your needs, thank God for all he has done, and receive his peace.

Keep Your Mind Steadfast

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. – Isaiah 26:3

Do you want God’s perfect peace in exchange for your anxieties? Surely you do! God’s peace is better than what the world offers. It is not temporary like our creature comforts can be. It is lasting because God is eternal and unchanging.

His perfect peace will flood your heart and mind as you meditate on this verse. By keeping God’s Word at the ready, you will have a weapon against anxious thoughts. Write Isaiah 26:3 on a sticky note or small card.

Every time you have an anxious thought, meditate on the verse and turn it into a prayer. Tell God that you trust him and that you want to keep your mind steadfast on his promises. Ask him to give you peace in exchange for anxiety. As you repeat this meditation practice, God will train you to keep your mind steadfast for greater peace.

Choose Hope, Joy, and Peace

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

When your heart is full of hope, joy, and peace, there is far less room for anxiety. The Holy Spirit wants to give you these gifts. Hide them in your heart by reading God’s Word, meditating on Scripture, singing praise songs, and showing kindness to yourself.

You can have hope because God is good, joy because his promises are true, and peace because his love never changes. As you focus on these positive virtues, your mindset will change, and your anxiety levels will decrease.

Let Peace Rule in Your Heart

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. – Colossians 3:15

When anxiety is on the throne of your heart, your whole life is affected by its negative rule. Yet when you allow Jesus to sit on your heart’s throne, peace will rule in your heart, mind, and soul. As a believer in God, you are called to live a life of peace, not anxiety. Allow God to handle your worries, doubts, and fears, and he will bless you with perfect peace.

Christian Counseling for Anxiety Problems

Conquering anxiety is a challenging process. You may need help from a Christian counselor to win the fight. Use these Bible verses on anxiety to fight back on your own, but don’t be afraid to ask for professional help. Please give us a call if you need more assistance in winning your battle over anxiety. We are ready to help you at Seattle Christian Counseling.