18 Bible Verses About Anxiety for a Worried Mind
Here are 18 Bible verses about anxiety, the passages Christians turn to when worry will not let go. Each comes with one line of context: who is speaking and why it speaks to an anxious heart. You will find what Jesus and the apostles said about worry, psalms for sleepless nights, and words for days when anxiety feels heavy, including passages showing that faithful people felt it too.
What does the Bible say about worry?
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests 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 · BSB
Paul wrote from prison, unsure whether he would live or die. Rather than shame the church for worrying, he shows them where to take every concern, and what peace follows.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Matthew 6:25–27 · BSB
Part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus turns his listeners' eyes to the birds: if the Father provides for them, he will not forget his children, and fretting changes nothing.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34 · BSB
The last word of Jesus' teaching on worry: give today your attention, and trust the Father with the days you cannot see yet.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6–7 · BSB
The letter was written to scattered Christians facing hostility. Handing over every worry goes with humility here: trusting God to lift you up in his time instead of carrying everything yourself.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41–42 · BSB
Martha was busy and frustrated while her sister sat listening. Jesus gently names her worry and invites her to the one thing that matters most: being with him.
Bible verses for anxiety at night
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8 · BSB
David closes this evening psalm with quiet trust. Christians have prayed it at bedtime for centuries, handing the night's worries to God.
When anxiety overwhelms me, Your consolation delights my soul.
Psalm 94:19 · BSB
Psalm 94 cries out against people who crush the weak. Near its end, the writer admits his own inner turmoil and finds God's comfort there: a verse for a racing mind.
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the myriads set against me on every side.
Psalm 3:5–6 · BSB
The heading places this psalm in the days David fled from his son Absalom. With real enemies all around, he could still rest, because his life was in God's hands.
When anxiety feels too heavy to carry
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 · BSB
Jesus speaks to people worn out by heavy demands, religious and otherwise. Rather than adding weight, he offers to share the load, and his way of life is kind, not crushing.
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
Psalm 55:22 · BSB
This line comes from a lament by someone betrayed by a close friend and overwhelmed by fear. Out of that pain he turns to others and tells them to hand their load to God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 62:8 · BSB
A prayer from someone under attack who has learned to wait quietly for God. He urges others to hold nothing back in prayer: God is big enough for all of it.
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
John 14:27 · BSB
Jesus said this at the Last Supper, after telling his friends he would soon leave them. He answers their fear of being left alone with a peace that doesn't depend on circumstances.
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3 · BSB
Part of a song of trust for God's people, this verse links steady peace with a mind that keeps returning to God.
Did people in the Bible struggle with anxiety?
How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?
Psalm 13:1–2 · BSB
David asks “how long?” four times in two verses, worn down by a trouble that won't lift. This lament shows that bringing raw anxiety to God is itself an act of faith.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.
Psalm 42:5 · BSB
The writer, cut off from the temple worship he once led, speaks honestly to his own low spirits and reminds himself of the God who has not changed.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23–24 · BSB
Psalm 139 marvels that God knows a person completely. It ends by inviting that gaze in: the writer opens his inner worries, and his whole life, to God's examination and guidance.
He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”
Mark 14:33–34 · BSB
In Gethsemane, on the night of his arrest, Jesus told three friends how crushed he felt and asked them to stay close. He knows anguish from the inside.
Apart from these external trials, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief?
2 Corinthians 11:28–29 · BSB
At the end of a long list of beatings, shipwrecks and dangers, Paul names one more burden: the churches weighing on his heart every day. Even an apostle worried about people he loved.
Choose one verse from this page and write it where you will see it today, or read it slowly each time a worried thought returns. If someone you love is anxious, send them one with a short note. And if anxiety is overwhelming you or you feel unsafe, please reach out: a doctor, a counselor, a local church or emergency services can help.
Questions people ask
Is it a sin to feel anxious?
Feeling anxious is part of being human, and Scripture shows faithful people, and Jesus himself, in deep distress. The Bible's invitations not to worry are offered as comfort and as a way to bring our fears to God, not as a charge against those who struggle. Christians differ on how to describe this, but most agree that anxiety itself is not a reason for shame.
Should a Christian get help for anxiety, or just pray more?
Prayer and practical help are not opposites. Many Christians find that prayer, Scripture, community and care from a doctor or counselor work together. If anxiety is affecting your sleep, work or relationships, talking to a professional is a wise and faithful step.
How can I pray when I am too anxious to find words?
Short, honest prayers are enough; many of the psalms are simply people telling God what they feel. You can read a verse aloud and make it your prayer, or repeat a single sentence asking for peace. Scripture also says the Spirit helps us when we do not know what to pray.
Chosen with AI help and reviewed by Miguel Ridruejo Mendoza before publishing. Bible quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), in the public domain. How we write.