169: 4 Bible Verses on Anxiety When You Need Calm + Peace

Anxiety is the number one mental health issue today. What are some bible verses on anxiety that can help us lean on God and grow in our faith when anxiety strikes? Today I’m sharing four anxiety bible verses taken from the anxiety Bible study inside the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit.

Let’s talk about how to find more calm and peace when dealing with anxiety, including some practical Bible verses and other mindset tips to manage anxiety from a biblical and brain science perspective.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• [4:37] Study Anxiety Bible Verses Based on Common Anxiety Fears as One of the Anxiety Resources in the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit 
• [6:39] Spiritual Growth Rhythm (SGR): Learn My 3-Step Bible Study Method to Study Anxiety Bible Verses 
• [8:05] Step 1 of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm: Receiving God’s Wisdom from Anxiety Bible Verse #1: Isaiah 41:13
• [14:05] Step Two of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm: Recognizing God at Work
• [19:06] Step Three of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm: Releasing Fear and Worry
• [20:05] Anxiety Bible Verse for When Life Is Stressful and Overwhelming
• [21:00] Anxiety Bible Verse for When You're Anxious About a Specific Event
• [22:30] Anxiety Bible Verse for When You're Not Sure What Is Going to Happen
• [23:17] Study these Bible Verses on Anxiety as Part of the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit 

[4:37] Study Anxiety Bible Verses Based on Common Anxiety Fears as One of the Anxiety Resources in the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit 

Since the Covid pandemic, anxiety has increased, and we haven't had the ability to be able to bring it back down. The anxiousness, worry, and what ifs are all still present. So I have created something called the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit that we'll be referencing throughout this series on anxiety as an added resource you can do as a next step.

There is a chance that we will experience some sort of anxiety disorder if we haven’t already, so it is essential for us to dive into this topic. There are four anxiety bible verses that I have pulled from the “Calm Your Anxious Heart” 4-Week Bible study inside the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit. The Bible study covers 20 bible verses on anxiety altogether but covers five verses for each of the four weeks. 

Each week covers a different topic that relates to common anxiety fears: 

• Week 1: When the future feels uncertain and scary
• Week 2: When life is stressful and overwhelming 
• Week 3: When you're anxious about a specific event 
• Week 4: When you're not sure what is going to happen

In today’s episode I'll be taking one verse from each of those weeks to give you an example of some of the verses and how you can lean on God when anxiety strikes to deal with each issue and manage anxiety from a biblical and brain science perspective.

First, I want to introduce you to a powerful way to study these anxiety Bible verses that we use inside the “Calm Your Anxious Heart” Bible study in the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit. This 3-step Bible study method is called the Spiritual Growth Rhythm. Each day in the 4-week study has a worksheet with the steps of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm on it so you can work through each daily anxiety Bible verse using this powerful Bible study method.

[6:39] Spiritual Growth Rhythm (SGR): Learn My 3-Step Bible Study Method to Study Anxiety Bible Verses 

The Spiritual Growth Rhythm consists of three steps: Receiving God’s wisdom; Recognizing God at work; and Releasing worry and fear to God. Let’s walk through this easy Bible study method using a verse from Week 1 of the anxiety Bible study. 

[8:05] Step 1 of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm: Receiving God’s Wisdom from Anxiety Bible Verse #1: Isaiah 41:13

In the Spiritual Growth Rhythm worksheet, we start with receiving God’s wisdom. Inside the “receive” section we use the 5 Rs Bible study method to help us understand and apply a Bible verse: Read, Rewrite, Restate, Relate, Respond. 

Step one is to read the verse. Step two is to rewrite the whole verse in your translation. Then, step three, is to restate the verse by replacing each word in the verse with a similar word or phrase without changing the meaning. After you restate the verse in a similar way, then, step four, you relate to the verse. We connect what we've learned with what we already know about God, what we've already read about Him in the Bible, and how we've already seen Him show up in our lives. Then step five (the last step inside of Receive on the Spiritual Growth Rhythm Worksheet) is to respond: How will you apply this truth to what’s currently happening in your life?

Let’s see what this first step of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm (Receive) using the 5Rs looks like using an actual Bible verse. I’ve chosen Isaiah 41:13 which is from Week 1 of the “Calm Your Anxiety Heart” Bible study inside the “Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit.”

Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Starting with the “receive” section on the Spiritual Growth Rhythm Worksheet, let’s use the 5Rs to receive God’s wisdom: Read, Rewrite, Restate, Relate, Respond

First, you begin by reading the Bible verse. Next, you rewrite the anxiety Bible verse as it’s written in your translation. Then you will restate the Bible verse using your own words without changing the verse’s meaning. For example, I said, “For I, Jesus am holding on to you by your right hand. Yes, me, the one who has guided you your whole life and holds all things. I want to let you know, it's okay. Fear doesn't have to take over. I am right beside you and will help you through this.” 

Then you move to the next “R”: relate. How does this verse relate to something in your life, or sound like something you know to be true from other Bible stories, etc? Here’s what I wrote: “Just knowing God is with me at all times is such a comfort. This truth makes me feel strong and not alone. It reminds me of what Stephen must have felt to speak so boldly to the authorities about Christ, or the time when God told Joshua not to be afraid but to be courageous to take hold of the promise that he'd been given.” So with “relate” we're connecting it to other stories and how this concept of God being in control, and telling us not to be afraid, might relate to other things we know of that maybe we've walked through or something that we know about from the Bible.

Then the last step of this section is “respond”. How can you apply this truth to what's going on in your life today? Here’s what I wrote: “I saw a card the other day that sums up what I'm feeling as a response: ‘I’m grateful for where I'm at and excited for where I'm going.’ There are so many new things and unknowns on the horizon, but I'm able to take the next step toward them in confidence because you are holding my right hand, you won't let me go, you won't leave me, you are with me, and you are for me, and all things and that quells my anxious heart. I'm choosing to believe that even though there are things in front of me that are both scary and humbling, I believe that as I walk through those things, God's going to be with me. He says here in this verse that he's got my right hand; he's here to help me. So with that truth in mind, all I have to do is take the next step.

 [14:05] Step Two of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm: Recognizing God at Work

Once I’ve received that truth from God (the first part of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm), we move on to step two of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm Worksheet: Recognize.

In this section we recognize and notice the ways that God has showed up in our life over the past 24 to 48 hours. We write down those little evidences of his love and power in your life. In some ways this is similar to a gratitude practice, except that it is specifically related to those active ways we see God showing up right now. As we practice the tool of recognizing God at work we become more aware of His presence and His activity in our lives. As a result, you become closer to Christ.

When I worked through the “Recognize” second of the worksheet, I shared the gift of being able to accomplish something on my to-do list that God had to give me the courage to do. 

 [19:06] Step Three of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm: Releasing Fear and Worry

The last step of the Spiritual Growth Rhythm is Release.  After we have received God's truth and we recognize him at work, it's that chance where we just open our hands, and we say, “God, please help me to release these other burdens to you and to surrender them to your ability to bring change and comfort”. I'm not going to read the release part since it’s private, but you get the gist of how to do this for yourself.

[20:05] Anxiety Bible Verse for When Life Is Stressful and Overwhelming

“When life is stressful and overwhelming” is the theme of Week 2 of the “Calm Your Anxious Heart” Bible study inside the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit. We often feel stressed and overwhelmed by many different things as part of daily life. 

In Psalm 145:14-16, it says The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

God is faithful to help us when we are burdened by so much, and we look to Him with hope. He satisfies that hunger, so when we're stressed, this is a great Bible verse for anxiety. 

[21:00] Anxiety Bible Verse for When You're Anxious About a Specific Event

“When you’re anxious about a specific event” is the theme for Week 3 of the Anxiety Bible study inside the tool kit. Like every week in the Bible study there are five different scriptures to study, but I’m sharing Exodus 14:13-14 with you today. This is a wonderful verse for reminding us to stay calm and focused on God’s ability to manage even the most fearful situations. 

In this section of scripture Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm, and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Let’s give some context to this verse so we can best understand it. Picture Moses and the children of Israel standing on the Red Sea, seeing the Egyptians running toward them without any visible way to escape. The Israelites were terrified and freaking out. Moses reminds them in this verse: This is the moment where you're going to get to decide, “am I going to trust God or not?” I believe sometimes God puts us in these moments where we have no choice but to trust Him. There's nothing else more we could do, so we have to learn how to stand still and allow him to rescue us.

[22:30] Anxiety Bible Verse for When You're Not Sure What Is Going to Happen

“When you’re not sure what is going to happen” is the theme for Week 4 of the Anxiety Bible study inside the tool kit. The verse I chose is Psalm 94:19, which says that “when anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

Even though we have doubts and we question things sometimes, God is there with us in our doubts. He comforts us by reminding us of His promises, reminding us of who He is, and that those things aren't going to change no matter what's ahead for us.

[23:17] Study these Bible Verses on Anxiety as Part of the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit

These anxiety bible verses are only a sample of the powerful anxiety scriptures found inside the Bible study of the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit! I invite you to download the Tool Kit and get started now on studying these powerful Bible verses on anxiety in order to find more calm and peace.  

But, again, the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit is much more than a Bible study. It's a resource kit that guides you to create your custom step-by-step game plan for how you will manage your anxiety, including:

–a four-part video training that talks about how to manage your thoughts as you work on your anxiety

–20 affirmations for anxiety and fear, which are powerful statements to speak over yourself when you’re struggling with anxiety in the moment

–calming meditation to help when you’re struggling with anxiety

–two powerful resource sheets for anxiety coping strategies (in the moment, and ongoing maintenance strategies)

–podcast list of episodes on managing anxiety, worries, surrendering fear to God, and a calming meditation.

–template for creating your custom anxiety plan for more calm and peace 

Each of these elements work together to create your personal framework for how you can begin letting go of anxious thoughts and cultivating a life of peace and calm. This is a proven process based on brain science, biblical truths and years of coaching Christian women on how to manage anxious thoughts. 

I highly encourage you to get the Calm Your Anxiety Tool Kit now so you can take back control over your anxious thoughts and cultivate peace and calm–starting today!

OTHER PODCAST EPISODES ON ANXIETY BIBLE VERSES:

• 166: How to Manage Your Mind to Hear God’s Voice
• 163: How I Take Courage, Manage Anxiety, and Release Fear with Amy Debrucque
• 90: Finding Joy + Peace When You Feeling Stuck in Life
• 62: Mindset Matters: Breaking the What If Worry Cycle