Anxiety is overwhelming…
Intrusive thoughts bounce around your brain like a pinball. Your stomach flutters and your head always hurts. You are “on edge” even when relaxing.
These feelings can dominate your life, cripple you, and steal your peace and joy. So how can you overcome anxiety in apprenticeship to Jesus?
Anxiety is caused by an underlying (and often unconscious) need to be in control—of your image, other people’s actions, or outcomes.
For this reason, it is important to learn how to abandon outcomes to God. Looking to Jesus and his kingdom in your midst, instead of trying hard to make things happen, forms you into a loving person who is full of joy and peace.
What are some ways to practice abandoning outcomes to God? There are many life-giving verses from the Bible about anxiety. These anxiety antidotes are full of the Spirit and lead to abundant life inside Jesus’ non-anxious yoke (John 6:63, Matthew 11:28-30 MSG).
Meditating on Scripture—reading slowly and carefully while attuning to God—is how his Word penetrates your heart.
Let’s try meditating on some Bible scriptures for anxiety together…
It might be helpful to sit somewhere quiet in nature, like a lake or garden. Taking some deep breaths helps you let go of stress and striving, still your body and mind, and trust God’s presence with you (Psalm 46:10).
Anxiety Bible Verses
God’s Word is full of the wisdom of the care you need to work through your hurts and step into his peace. The Great Physician truly is the antidote to anxiety! I pray these Bible verses for anxiety help you learn how to live as an apprentice to the Prince of Peace.
Don’t Rely on Yourself for Security – Listen to God’s Wisdom and Trust His Way
“…but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm” (Proverbs 1:33).
Don’t Hoard Resources – God Has All You Need
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Don’t Worry – Pray for What You Need and Give Thanks to God
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
Don’t Try to Please People – God is Your Source
So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6 NLT).
Don’t Be Ruled by Selfishness – Submit to Christ’s Peaceful Rule in Your Heart
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful (Colossians 3:15).
Don’t Try to Control People and Situations – Submit to God in Humility
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2).
Don’t Keep Trying Harder – Embrace What the Spirit Is Doing in You
And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us. Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life (Romans 8:4-6, MSG).
Don’t Try to Make Things Happen – Follow Christ in All You Do
“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?” (Mark 8:34, MSG).
Don’t Hurry – Slow Down, Wait on God, and Trust Him
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him (Psalm 46:10).
Don’t Work Too Hard – Refresh Your Soul by Resting in God
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul… (Psalm 23:1-3).
Don’t Hold Onto Anger – Be Honest, Direct, and Loving
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry (Ephesians 4:25-26 NLT).
Don’t Carry Your Own Burdens – Come and Train With Jesus
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Don’t Forget – Remember That You’re Loved by God!
For I am convinced that…[nothing] in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).
Don’t Lose Sight of God in Your Midst – Praise Him and Trust Him Daily
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah (Psalm 68:19).
Further Support for Anxiety
These Biblical verses on anxiety encourage us to draw near to Jesus to receive his loving care for our needs.
You can also meet with one of our Spiritual Directors to process your anxiety. They will listen to you with empathy, help you pray, and encourage you in your next steps of growth.
You can get more help by downloading a free copy of our resource, Help for Anxiety: Experiencing God’s Peace Through Scripture and Prayer. It explores how anxiety develops and includes a self-assessment to gauge the role anxiousness is playing in your life. Plus, there are more Scripture and prayer exercises that will help you release stress and fix your mind and heart on Jesus!
