7 Uplifting Verses For When Your Heart Is Anxious

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

This verse is a drop the mic and drop your jaw moment. If you have experienced the peace spoken of here, you know what I mean. But if you haven’t and just reading it makes your blood pressure rise and you long for relief, I am here today to offer you some hope.

I am not negating the possibility that doctors and medication might be needed. So do what you need to do. But what I am encouraging is sitting with this difficult part of Scripture and imagining what it might be like if you could actually not be anxious about anything.

The keys to open the door we find here are prayer, requests, and giving thanks. I like to work backwards with this one. Start by making a gratitude list with a minimum of 10 things on your list. We could stay here all day, but let’s see what other verses we can find to help us move away from anxiety toward more peace.

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“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3).

This is a psalm of David when he was seized by the Philistines. The power in this is that David was not in a safe place. He was in the middle of a mess. Surrounded. Yet his words were filled with faith in His God. When he felt fear in his heart, his response was everything. This is so valuable for us!

Ask yourself the question, “What is my response when I feel fear in my heart?” If it is powerless, terrified, or alone, the truth is you are not alone. God is all-powerful and gives us everything we need to make it through the thing that is making our hearts fear. The Bible never says life will be easy and without battles or wounds. But it does say we can trust God when we are afraid.

The final verse of this Psalm says, “For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life” (Psalm 56:13). David knew who would deliver him and cause him to walk out of the fight. He trusted God. For us, it comes down to this: do we trust God in our fears or do we depend on our own power and strength?

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“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

The fears and crippling anxieties we experience are not given by God. They are allowed by Him, but do not come from Him. It is a result of the fall in the Garden of Eden.

This verse leads us to a beautiful fact that power, love and self-control are what we can receive from God. They are given to His children. This leaves us with a choice. Do we receive the love, power, and self-control offered to us through the power of the Holy Spirit, or do we receive the fear, questions, and anxiety given by the enemy?

Sometimes we don’t feel like we have a choice. We wear the badge or diagnosis of anxiety and we don’t even give God a chance to do what only He can do. What do you need God to do for you?

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“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer, from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:1-3).

Here we find another Psalm of David when he is running from an adversary. His response is not to collapse or curse God. Instead, he runs to God asking Him for help. He begs for God to listen to his prayer. His plea is for leadership and guidance.

But the part that really stands out to me is the way David talks about his God. He declares to God what He has been to him - “a refuge and a strong tower against the enemy.” This gives us another amazing example to follow when we face our own anxious or fearful moments. Do we cry out to God about God?

Think of one time God came through for you. Name it. Try telling God how good He has been to you in the past the next time an anxious thought rises up in your mind and heart.

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“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

Oh if we could only see the future. Wouldn’t that be nice. Or would it? The Bible gives us the clear message through the words of Jesus in Matthew to not worry about the future. This is easy to say, but much more difficult to achieve.

Often, tomorrow holds situations and outcomes that we cannot control. The fear in this unknown is sure to ignite that ugly little (or big) anxiety monster. It’s the late night mind racing, the heart palpitating, or anxiously googling every potential outcome.

How do we really not worry about tomorrow? Can we honestly say, “I am at peace?” We can, but only with the right mindset and shift in perspective. It means we come to a place in our hearts like David that we finally and honestly say, I trust you, God. Whether things work out the way I want or hope, or whether they don’t, I trust you.

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“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

This one gives us the action behind our words and desires. We want to trust God and live free from anxiety, but we keep getting in the way by asking all the questions, trying to figure everything out, and overthinking every possible possibility. Peter’s words here give us what we need to do. Cast the anxiety on God.

Cast means we throw the anxiety on Him. Imagine with me that you throw a ball to a friend. When you throw something to someone else, you completely release it from your hands. The person catching the ball, fully and completely takes and holds the ball.

This is what it means to cast your anxiety to God. It means you throw it to God and fully release it. He then takes it and carries it for you. You can keep carrying it if you really want to, but you do not have to. God is there ready to let you release it to Him.

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“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Isaiah is full of wisdom for moments of anxiety. This verse reminds us God is who He claims to be. But what I really love is not the part about Him holding us with His hand, although that is beautiful. What is greatly impactful to me is the personal pronouns “you and yours.”

When God is speaking here, He is saying, “I will help you.” This is not a broad statement of concern or help for a group. It is personal.

This is a good landing place for you and me today. When we make God our personal person of peace and rest, we begin to run to Him and only Him when we feel anxiety rising. Next time you feel your jaw tighten, your shoulders get tense, and your heart beat faster, grab hold of a verse like this one and remind yourself God is with you, for you, and holding you. He is not waiting for you to fail, have a panic attack, or overreact. He is waiting for you to throw your anxiety to Him so He can carry it for you. This is when peace that truly passes understanding ignites in you.

Anxiety is all around us threatening our souls to fear and tremble. But God is here too. Fill your heart and mind with these verses every day over and over. Say them out loud in a moment of fear. Write them in your journal. Share them with a friend. Don’t tuck them away never to be thought of or seen again. If you struggle with anxiety, these are part of your battle plan. Breathe in the power of these verses and breathe out the fears that keep you bound. 

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