26 Calming Bible Verses About Stress, Fear, And Anxiety

If you are feeling the weight of stress, fear, or anxiety, know that you are not alone. Mental health is a widespread issue, with more than 1 in 5 adults in the United States experiencing some form of these challenges every year.

The good news is that help is available! The Bible is full of verses that can point us back to the peace and hope that comes from God. This article covers why stress is such an important problem to address, and includes 26 Bible verses about stress to help encourage and comfort you. In your times of need, seek refuge in God's perfect love.

How Are Stress, Fear, and Anxiety Related?

HealthMatch explains the interrelated nature of stress andanxiety:

"In many cases, anxiety is your worries or your interpretation of stress. Stress is your body’s actual response to real or perceived threats. Both stress and anxiety in the short term can be beneficial to humans, but can also be harmful in the long term for almost the same reasons. They elicit very clear nervous system responses which, in the case of real and imminent danger, help humans protect themselves or get them out of harm’s way — the classic fight or flight response. However, when this state is consistently invoked and on a long-term basis, it can be very harmful to us.”

To better manage long-term stress, this article aims to help you understandwhat these states are and how you can learn to combat them with the help of our Lord. Otherwise, the health implications of stress, anxiety, and fear can be serious and fatal. Allow yourself the time to soak in God's word and prayer can rescue us.

The Impact of Stress

We all experience stress, but young adults struggle the most as they are less experienced with managing mental health. If you know someone who is struggling, reach out to them, share this article, and consider joining them in prayer.

A recent study conducted by the Mental Health Foundation surveyed 4,619 adults and found the following results:

• 60% of young people (aged 18 to 24) have felt so stressed by the pressure to succeed that they have felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
• 47% of young people have felt so stressed by body image and appearance that they have felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
• 57% of young people have felt so stressed because of fear of making mistakes they have felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
• 39% of young people said they had experienced suicidal feelings because of stress.
• 29% of young people said they had self-harmed because of high levels of stress.

The prevalence of high levels of stress is striking, but what's even more concerning are the future health implications. WebMD tells us that there are quite a few diseases andhealth problems that are caused by stress including:

• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Depression
• Obesity
• Acne
• Hair Loss
• Accelerated Aging
• Premature Death

How Prayer and The Bible Can Help Reduce Stress

Regularly reading Bible verses is a wonderful way to help combat stress, and help prevent these ailments. Medical expert Catherine Duncan, MA, BCC from the University of Minnesota states that "prayer is important in a healthcare context simply because it is used so widely."

According to Dr. Wayne Jonas, "Nearly 90% of patients with serious illness will engage in prayer for the alleviation of their suffering or disease." He found that "among all forms of complementary medicine, prayer is the single most widely-practiced healing modality." Research conducted by Dr. Christina Puchalski backed up this claim. She noted that "prayer is the second most common method of pain management" after only medication itself.

It's clear that Bible verses and prayer can have a significant positive impact on our mental and physical health. In the morning before turning your attention to this world or in the evening before heading to sleep, read a few of these Bible verses about stress, anxiety, and fear. Let the Word speaks to you, and tell you how to find peace and a healthier mental state.

26 Bible Verses About Stress, Receiving Peace, and Asking For Healing

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

Isaiah 55:1-3

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

John 12:32

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Luke 10:41-42

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

1 Corinthians 3:11

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Philippians 4:9

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

James 1:2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:6-7

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.

Romans 8:6

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

NOTE: Here is one of my personal favorites, Romans 12:2! It’s a great reminder that makes me feel peaceful whenever I re-read it. 

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 16:20

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Malachi 4:2

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

NOTE: In the evening I like to read Psalms to help me calm my mind and find peace before bed. I pick a verse that speaks to me and I read it prayerfully ten times. I then close my eyes and say it without looking at my list of Psalms verses. Finally, I add it to my evening prayer. Here are nine of my favorite verses for stress, anxiety, and healing:

Psalm 4:8

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 34:4

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:8-9

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 103:11-12

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Psalm 116:1-2

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

Psalm 116:6-7

The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.

Final Thoughts

I hope this list of calming Bible verses speaks to you, the way it has to me! I like to write dates next to verses that have touched me. I include a note with a family member or friend’s name and a few words that act as a reminder of a circumstance that I have been through.

This is how I find help in the Holy Bible, and I hope it inspires others to find their own way of Bible journaling or meditating on Scripture. I pray that God brings you less stress, more peace, and many blessings!