Calming Bible Verses About Stress, Worry, and Anxiety

Have you ever felt crushed by the weight of your stress and overwhelmed with worry? While it’s easy to feel paralyzed for your circumstances, it’s not God’s plan for His children. Yet these calming Bible verses about stress can help you (and me!) surrender your burdens at the cross and rest in the peace of the Lord.

Start growing in faith with the free Spiritual Growth Jump Start Challenge!

Get instant access to these free resources and then continue to grow in faith through our Scripture Sisterhood e-mail community. We never share or sell your data! Visit our privacy policy for more details.

YES! I WANT THIS!

While God doesn’t promise an easy life, He does promise to be with us and offer peace to our anxious hearts and minds when we need it. We can learn to surrender our struggles to God and rest in the victory of Christ, knowing the battle is already His.

PIN THIS RESOURCE:

David: A Biblical Example of Stress, Worry, and Anxiety

While it seems like we are surrounded by stress and anxiety in our modern world, it’s really nothing new. The Bible is full of people who faced stressful situations in their lives.

In the Old Testament, we read the story of King Saul and David. Samuel had anointed David to be the new king of Israel. Saul was so upset and jealous, he chased David and attempted to kill him.

David ran for his life for months, away from his family and home. Obviously, his life was full of stress and anxiety!

Yet David knew we didn’t have to cave under the pressure of his burdens. He knew he could rest in the peace of the Lord and release His anxiety to his Heavenly Father.

In Psalm 23, we read these beautiful words:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

How could a man who faced so much hardship in his life find peace and write one of the most calming, peaceful passages in the entire Bible?

Because David knew that the peace of God is more powerful than even our most stressful moments.

He wrote these peace-filled verses from a heart that was filled with God’s love and steadfast in His presence.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

If you have an anxious heart, know that you can find peace in the Lord and you don’t carry the weight of this on your own.

5 Scripture Promises to Stand on When You’re Stressed

When life feels heavy and overwhelming, cling to these Scripture promises as your hope in the chaos. Put these verses on your “Scripture 911 list” and read them when stress threatens to consume you whole.

Use these promises to help you breathe deep, regain composure, and remember that God is in control over every area of your life. Nothing takes Him by surprise and He will strengthen you in this moment.

God is your refuge and strength- Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

God is with you and will never leave you- Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God will direct your path- Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God will give you rest- Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

God will give you peace- Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

10 Ways to Overcome Stress, Worry, and Anxiety with Scripture

The Bible is more than just a book. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Whatever you need, you can find it in God’s Word. When you’re feeling stressed, worried, or anxious, turn to the Scriptures for help.

Here are 10 great ways you can use the Bible to overcome stress and move forward with God’s help.

Pray these Bible verses about stress and worry.

The Bible is more than just words we can read. It contains many powerful prayers we can quite literally quote to God!

Consider:

Speaking each verse out loud as truth proclaimed over your life
Make the verses personal, by adding your name to it
Choose a verse to meditate on throughout the day

Here are a few you can pray when you’re feeling stressed:

Psalm 43:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Psalm 31:7 (ESV)

I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,

Psalm 94:19 (ESV)

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Use a prayer journal as a source of stress relief and to remember God’s faithfulness.

The act of writing things down is a powerful way to let them go. Journaling is cathartic to the weary soul and is a great way to release stress, too.

Use a simple prayer journal to record the stress and burdens you’re carrying. Then, give them to God and ask Him to carry these struggles for you. Over time, you can use your journal as a way to remember God’s goodness and see the prayers He’s answered.

Your prayer journal will become a memorial to all the Lord has done and a hope for what He will do in the future.

Use biblical affirmations to remind yourself of truth in all moments.

There is never a single hour that God is not with you. The more that you reflect on God’s faithfulness and remember His promises to you, that’s where the battle is won!

When you start to feel anxious, remind yourself of truth from God’s Word. Renew your mind with what you know is true, not based on your feelings. Example:

Turn Christian affirmations into a battle cry to declare truth over the stress and worry you’re facing. Trust that God is with you in the battle and nothing is too great for Him to handle!

Create a hope plan as a way to combat stressful situations with God’s help.

When you’re stuck in a cycle of worry and stress, you may start to feel like there’s no way out. But God is the God of hope.

Creating a hope plan will help you be proactive in how you handle stress and worry. Then, when stressful moments come about, you’ll have a flexible for how you’ll act and get through it.

It’s one of my favorite ways to remind myself of the hope of the Lord, and move past stress with biblical confidence. (The ultimate guide for creating a hope plan found here!!)

Cultivate a quiet time routine that keeps you seeking the Lord each morning.

Spending time with God first thing in the morning is a great way to calm anxiety before it overwhelms you.

Simply carve out a few minutes to read and process what you read in the Bible. And no worries if you’re a beginner! This will help you create a Bible study habit that fuels your soul with the hope of the Lord, even if you never have before.

Write Scripture as a way to help you remember the truth and have steadfast faith.

If you struggle to remember what you’ve read in the Bible each morning, try writing the Bible word for word.

Choose a few of your favorite Bible verses on stress that keep you rooted in God’s truth and that you can focus on throughout the day.

Consider writing them in a notebook, on notecards that you keep visible throughout your day, or even in your planner.

Listen to worship music as a way to focus your mind on the Lord.

Sometimes anxious thoughts and fear of bad news come out of nowhere, and often you carry heavy burdens. When you start to feel overwhelmed by it all, turn on worship music to draw your heart and thoughts back to God.

Memorize Scripture and whisper it out loud to stand firm in your faith.

If you find peace and comfort in certain Scriptures, memorize them! Then, whenever you’re faced with a trial that causes worry or stress, you can immediately recall the best Bible verses for peace and calm.

Identify those circumstances that trigger your stress and worry, and commit to praying daily for them.

You already know the specific situation that makes you feel stressed. Take time every day to give that situation to the Lord, and ask Him to give you comfort.

Ask the Lord to show you how to respond in a godly way and to recognize the stress-triggers as they come on.

Listen to an audio Bible or sermons on the go to stay connected to God.

Modern technology gives us many ways to fill our hearts and minds with Bible Scriptures. Whether you’re listening to an uplifting podcast, a live stream from your church, or an audio Bible, you can know God is never far away.