What Is the Best Book of the Bible to Read When Battling Anxiety?
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Psalm 55:22-23 states, “Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.”
Believers are invited to cast their cares on the Lord. Anxiety grows when we hold our fears tightly. As soon as we unclench our fists and make space for God’s Spirit to draw us close, our burden lightens. This act of casting our cares away is a way we can show and grow our trust in the Lord. The Psalmist reminds us to let go and let God do what only He can in our lives.
5. Comfort in Many Anxieties
Psalm 94:19 says “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Anxiety does not stop us from receiving God’s joy. When we draw near to the Lord, even in our hardest moments, we can experience his fullness of joy. Graciously, joy minimizes our fear. It offers comfort when the world feels unsure. We can rest in the joy of the Lord while battling anxiety.
The Psalms can become our prayer. We can use these ancient words to help us verbalize what we are feeling and as a tool to reach out to God when we are in need.
Pray them out loud. Personalize the Psalms, make them yours. God walks you through the valley of the shadow of death, you fear no evil. Write them out in your journal as a way to bring the Scripture closer to your soul. Modify the Psalms as you write them out to become your own.
Return to these words whenever you need them. They can be your daily reminder that even though life is scary, God is still great and worthy of our praises!
Paul wrote the book of Philippians in prison, yet he was filled with joy. In this short book, Paul offers some direct instruction about anxiety.
When anxious, our first response should be prayer! Present it all to the Lord. As we are obedient to take this step, God offers his transcendent peace. We can begin to see our lives with more gratitude and focus on the good things that God has created. We can take this advice and implement it in our lives to see real change in how we handle our circumstances!
Jesus speaks directly to us about our anxiety. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus boldly declares that we should not worry about our lives. He is aware of our need for food, clothing, and a future. Just as he cares for the birds and lilies, God cares for us.
Jesus invites us to shift our focus from survival to kingdom trust. We can set aside our fear because we know we are fully known and fully loved by the one true God.
Often, our anxiety is rooted in a deep need for control. Jesus invites us to surrender control to him, to look to him to provide all that we need. He shows us that our worry is misplaced trust and invites us to trust him with our whole selves.
The Bible is full of encouragement for our anxious hearts. Some other key places we can go to for comfort include the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 41:10 and Isaiah 26:3 invite us to rely on God’s strength and presence. 1 Peter tells us to cast our anxiety on the Lord. John encourages us to find peace in Christ. Lamentations offers us a path towards hope when we face sorrow.
But when we need emotional expression, we can go to the Psalms. They give us the words we need. For mental reframing and practical help, Philippians offers us steps to take. Matthew invites us to listen to Jesus’ own words, reminding us that God is trustworthy. The Bible is a great source of comfort to our souls that we can lean on through life’s many ups and downs.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Carolyn V
