These 7 Scriptures will be your guide in prayer for anxiety in the Bible. You can start to trust God more and worry less.
Struggling with anxiety?
Anxiety can leave you feeling overwhelmed and worn down. It steals your joy from family life. And it is not God’s plan for you!
As you read the Bible, you find encouragement and help for every part of life. And this includes the topic of anxiety.
Reading the Bible is, of course, very helpful. But turning those Scriptures into prayers is an extra blessing for your heart and encouragement in your faith.
Join me today as we dive into the Bible together to not only find encouragement and guidance from God’s Word, but to find out how we can PRAY Scripture when we are dealing with anxiety.
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How to pray for anxiety in the Bible
We all have moments where worry, fear, and anxiety take over. But the Lord promises us peace. When you struggle, you can turn to him in prayer.
God wants you to come to him about everything! The good, the bad, and the anxious – everything can lead us into prayer.
And one of my favorite ways to pray is to read the Bible and pray the words of Scripture back to God.
This is a great way to pray for a few reasons:
- When you are anxious, you don’t have to think about what to say.
- There’s never any worry that you might be saying the “wrong” thing or that you will feel stuck.
- You don’t have any pressure of being creative or trying to figure out exactly what you want to say.
- God’s Word never comes back without growing fruit! (Isaiah 55:11)
Prayer for anxiety in the Bible is not difficult – the Bible is actually full of references to worry, fear, anxiety, and what to do about it.
7 great Scriptures to guide you in prayer for anxiety
One of the best ways to read the Bible is to simply read through one book at a time. This helps you to understand the context for what’s going on, and also helps you to see a more full picture of who God is and what the Christian life is all about.
And as you read, you’ll start to notice something about our emotions. Big, hard emotions are a normal part of human life. Yes, even for Christians! After all, Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that in this world, we will have trouble.
But He doesn’t stop here. He promises that He has overcome the world, and that we can find peace in him.
All throughout the Bible, God reminds us that we don’t need to worry. Instead, we can trust that He is all-powerful, always good, and forever faithful to us. So let’s look at 7 great Scriptures to guide you in prayer for anxiety – straight from the Bible itself.
1. Pray through Philippians 4:4-9
This is a famous passage about anxiety. It outlines several biblical steps for managing anxiety. If you’re looking for action steps to help you manage anxiety, turn to Philippians 4:4-9!
Read the full Bible passage here.
As you read through this Scripture, several things jump out that can guide you in prayer for anxiety.
- PRAY FOR A SPIRIT OF JOY. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to rejoice and will push away your anxious thoughts. (verse 4)
- MAKE A LIST OF THANKSGIVINGS AND REQUESTS. Give thanks for what you have and enjoy. But also, ask for God’s help with specific things you are worried about. (verses 5-6)
- ASK GOD TO FILL YOU WITH HIS PEACE. Pray that He will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. If the Bible says He will do it – He will do it! (verse 7)
- SEEK GOD’S HELP TO STOP ANXIOUS THINKING AND UNHELPFUL BEHAVIORS. Ask the Lord to help you stop negative thinking patterns and replace them with healthy, helpful thoughts. Seek his help in practicing helpful action steps that replace worry with trust and peace. (verses 8-9)
Philippians 4:4-9 is filled with action steps, but also prayer prompts. Read through it, pray through it, and seek the Lord’s help with your anxiety.
2. Pray through 1 Kings 19
This chapter in the Old Testament paints a clear picture of how even the most godly people can struggle with anxiety and depression.
In this chapter, the prophet Elijah has just had an incredible experience of calling on God to send fire and burn up his offering… and God did! He showed his power and might and destroyed his enemies.
Other enemies immediately popped up and started chasing Elijah, who ran for his life, hid, and told God that he wished he wasn’t even alive anymore.
You will find great encouragement from the care and help that God gives Elijah when he is struggling. (Find some helpful tips here.) But also, you will find helpful prayer prompts in this chapter for your own anxiety!
- PRAY THROUGH HOW YOU ARE REALLY FEELING. God is not surprised when we struggle with anxiety, depression, or other hard emotions. Confess that to him! Let him comfort you. (verses 3-5)
- ASK GOD TO GIVE YOU THE PHYSICAL NOURISHMENT YOU MOST NEED. You need sleep. Food. Water. Rest. God created your body with limits, and He knows exactly what you need for refreshment. (verses 5-8)
- SEEK GOD’S PRESENCE AND ASK HIM TO SPEAK TO YOU. God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12) and He wants to be close to you (Matthew 11:28-30). Ask him to be present. Ask him to speak. Ask him to help you hear his words and receive his comfort. (verses 9-18)
3. Pray through Psalm 37:1-11
This psalm will remind you that God is bigger than your problems. And it is a really helpful start to prayer for anxiety in the Bible!
Basically, every line of this passage is a prayer prompt that will help with your anxiety and worry.
- ASK GOD TO HELP YOU NOT TO FRET AND WORRY. That may sound basic, but it will really help! (verses 1-2)
- PRAY THAT GOD WILL HELP YOU TRUST IN HIM AND OBEY. God wants you to delight in him and He wants to give you the things you need. Ask for his help to trust Him, delight in Him, commit your ways to Him, and obey his commands. (verses 3-6)
- SEEK THE HOLY SPIRIT’S HELP IN PATIENTLY WAITING. This is not easy, but God would not tell us to do something that He is unwilling to help us do. (verse 7)
- ASK GOD TO LEAD YOUR EMOTIONS AND KEEP YOU SAFE. God cares about your emotions. He knows about the things that are sparking your anxiety, and He has a plan bigger than your emotions. (verses 8-11)
4. Pray from Matthew 13:18-23
Did you know that Jesus specifically talked about how anxiety will impact your life and your faith?
In Matthew 13, Jesus shared a parable about a farmer scattering seeds and depending on where the seed landed, that determined how much fruit actually grew.
When Jesus explains this parable, He says that: “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (verse 22)
This is an incredibly important verse to help you pray for anxiety in the Bible!
- Pray that God’s Word in your life will not be unfruitful.
- Seek his help to trust him more and worry less about this life.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to protect you from the deceitfulness of wealth.
- Pray that God will open your ears to hear his Word and your heart to listen and follow.
- Ask for God’s help to keep you close to Jesus.
Jesus shared many parables during his life, and this specific note about how anxiety hurts your faith can be helpful for guiding you in prayer.
5. Pray through 1 Peter 5:6-11
As you read Peter’s letter, there is a lot that you can pray for. And one of those big areas of life is the issue of anxiety and worry.
Peter gives several helpful points for action and for prayer.
- ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HUMBLE YOU. This is not an easy prayer, but it is how we put ourselves in right position with God so that He can lift us up. (verse 6)
- PRAY FOR COURAGE TO CAST YOUR ANXIETY ON GOD. Knowing that you should do this is different than going it! So ask the Lord to give you courage and help to do it. (verse 7)
- ASK GOD TO HLEP YOU RESIST SATAN. Often, anxiety is rooted in lies that we believe. Seek the Lord’s help to be alert, sober minded, intention, and to keep you standing firm in the faith.
- PRAY THAT GOD WILL RESTORE YOU AND MAKE YOU STRONG, FIRM, AND STEADFAST. You have been covered by God’s grace and called to his eternal glory in Christ. Yes, there is suffering, but He is with you through it. He will restore you. Ask him to do this!
READ NEXT: The Incredible Power of Becoming A Woman Of Prayer
6. Pray through Luke 12:22-34
This Bible passage is clearly helpful for prayer for anxiety in the Bible, since it starts off with Jesus telling his disciples: do not worry about this life!
Not only will you find encouragement in this Bible passage, you will find great jumping off points for your own prayer time.
- PRAY FOR THE THINGS YOU WORRY ABOUT. Is it food? Clothes? Money? Health? Jesus understands that we worry about these things, but we can pray over them instead. (verses 22-30)
- ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SET YOUR HEART ON THE THINGS GOD PRIORITIZES. The Lord can change your heart in ways your own efforts never will. (verses 301-31)
- PRAY FOR GOD’S HELP IN SEEKING HIS KINGDOM. Ask him to lead you closer to him and to provide what you need. Pro that He will make himself your treasure. (verses 31-34)
As Jesus tells us here, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (verse 34)
We usually worry about things because we are either treasuring them too much, or treasuring God too little. Pray for his help to change this!
7. Pray through Matthew 11:28-30
This is a short Bible passage, but a very helpful starting point in your prayers for anxiety.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11, NIV)
Anxiety and worry make us feel burdened. We get weary and tired. And it is a beautiful and good thing to pray that Jesus will give you the rest that you need.
This short passage can lead you into prayer for many things. You might want to pray for:
- Rest: spiritual, emotional, and perhaps physical rest too
- Wisdom: to learn from Jesus and follow him.
- Gentleness: to experience Jesus’ comfort and healing
- Clarity: that you will know what to prioritize and why
Start praying for anxiety in the Bible today
These 7 Bible passages are not the only places in Scripture where you will find wisdom and help for anxiety!
READ NEXT: The 5 Best Bible Verses For Anxiety And Overwhelm
Reading about anxiety in the Bible is helpful. But taking it a step further and turning it into prayer is another layer of blessing.
Use these Bible passages to start your prayers for anxiety, and root those prayers in the words of Scripture.
And beyond that – keep reading! Keep praying!
- Start with my free Bible and prayer guide to build a daily habit.
- Build your own spiritual habits for regular Bible reading and prayer.
- Grow deeper in your identity in Christ, so you can trust him more and worry less.
Listen to Episode #194
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