Calming Bible Verses for Anxiety

These 30 calming Bible verses for anxiety can help bring a sense of peace and calm during tough times of fear or doubt.

As someone that both struggles with anxiety and identifies as a Christian, I know how confusing it can be when anxiety pops up in your life. It can be easy to turn from God and take the “why would He do this to me?” perspective.

However, the perspective that I choose is to ask God for help getting me through this season instead. I find that this way is much more successful in making me feel better about my mental health and growing my faith through God’s love.

There is lots of proof in the Bible that God can help with an anxious heart. In this post I’ll be sharing some of my favorite verses for anxiety that help calm me when my anxiety attacks. First let’s dive into what anxiety is in case you aren’t familiar.

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What is Anxiety

According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”

Some of the symptoms people with anxiety can experience are sweating, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and more. Then there are other, less obvious, signs of anxiety that include fatigue, irritability, sleeping problems, etc.

Let me be clear, anxiety is not just going through tough times but can be continual, life-threatening, and debilitating.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms of an anxiety disorder, it’s important to get professional help by seeing a medical professional. An option to complement medical help would be getting spiritual help through your Bible and God’s word.

How The Bible Can Help Your Anxiety

The word “peace” appears 329 times in the Bible. It’s clear that it’s an important topic to God. 

The good news? Given that peace is mentioned so many times, we can assume that there are some great verses to help bring you peace when anxiety makes an appearance. 

There are a couple of ways you can ease your anxiety through the Bible. One of my go-tos is to pick a verse or two to focus on. You can write them down, meditate on them, pray them, etc… The key is to just focus on those specific verses and what God is telling you through them.

When it feels like anxiety has a stronghold of my life, I turn to the words of our heavenly Father and find comfort in my times of stress through God’s peace and bible scriptures.

There are also specific Bible studies, devotionals, and Christian-based books about anxiety, I’ll share some of those later on. Lastly there is an exercise that I’ve done in counseling with a Christian counselor where you replace the world/spirit of fear/ enemy’s lies with God’s truth. This picture shows an example of that exercise.

30 Calming Bible Verses For Anxiety

There is something in the Bible for any kind of anxiety you may be facing. From relief from anxiety of the future through Jeremiah 29:11, to a nice pause in Psalm 23 from work stress or a packed schedule; there’s a variety to choose from. These will all be in the New International Version (NIV). We all face difficult times, but God’s love and His good word are with us.

You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. – Psalm 16:11

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Psalm 18:2

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. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalm 23

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. – Psalm 29:11

I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. – Psalm 34:4

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalm 55:22

When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. – Psalm 56:3

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” – Psalm 91:2

When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy. – Psalm 94:19

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven. – Psalm 107:29-30

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

 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” – Jeremiah 17:7

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. – Proverbs 12:25

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? – Matthew 6:27

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed Him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. – Matthew 8:23-26

 “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.” – Matthew 11:28-30

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:1

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

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

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

 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.- Collosians 3:15

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. – 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:6-7

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:18

Final Thoughts

Now you’ve got a plethora of Bible verses to help when your mind gets anxious. If you’d like to get deeper I’d recommend listening to inspirational music, reading a Christian-based book on the subject of anxiety, or start a Bible study centered around gaining peace.

At the end of the day, some of the best ways to use God’s strength to comfort and calm anxiety that may appear on a daily basis is to review the truth of God and remember His ever-present help.

Here are a few resources I recommend:

Songs

Books

Bible Studies/Resources

These resources have helped me when I needed extra support. What is your favorite Bible verse? Let me know in the comments.

About the Author

Kelly graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Journalism. Even though it took her a little while to find her career path, she was always meant to be in Communications. She remembers writing poems and songs when she was a little girl and pitching to my parents the reasons why I should have a cell phone when I was a teenager. She currently has a blog (budding-joy.com) where she talks about her weight-loss journey, mental health and personal development. Her hope is to encourage and inspire readers and let them know they are not alone. Reading blog posts like that are what helped her in tough times and she wants to pay it forward. She loves dance fitness, listening to music, and creating layouts in her bullet journal. She’s a big fan of planning, especially when cute notebooks and pens are involved.
Her dream job has changed so much over the years; right now she’d love to co-own a dance studio.

Website: budding-joy.com