Bible verses about anxiety
"What's happening to me?!" I cried out those words to myself and to God as fear gripped and overwhelmed me on July 28th, 2012. That dreadful moment—the day a dark cloud of anxiety surrounded me-- marked the beginning of an intensely difficult journey.
From the starting point of my struggle, I could no longer really enjoy life. The battles with anxiety lasted two to three years. I'd like to share how God used several Bible verses about anxiety to help me conquer this formidable foe. But first, here's some background:
I live in Dagsboro, Delaware but attended seminary in Kentucky from 2011 to 2014. Though I knew God called me to ministry, I endured a rough stretch from the summer of 2012 through 2014. Prior to that period, I enjoyed great health and rarely felt sick. I pursued ministry with a passion and loved life.
I didn’t always take care of myself in the best way, though. Cravings for foods that weren’t good for me kept tugging at me if you know what I mean. For eight years prior to that, I worked in a place where I had to sit all day.
High blood pressure runs in my family. Eventually, it caught up to me. At one of my doctor appointments, my blood pressure read 175/105 or something like that. So, the doctor put me on BP medicine for the first time. From that point on, even though I took the medicine, I still didn’t feel right.
Then on July 28th, 2012, for reasons that are not clear, the medicine stopped working properly. As a result, I woke up that morning with my head spinning and heart pounding relentlessly. Then, while driving to the bank, I experienced pains in my chest. I felt as though my heart was ready to explode. Needless to say, I panicked, which likely made it worse. “Jesus!! Jesus!!” I called and shouted in a desperate, urgent prayer.
On my way to work a few days later, something similar happened on the way to work. Following that, I went back to the doctor, and she changed my medication to a completely different type of blood pressure pill.
As a result of the trauma from those experiences, I began to suffer from frequent panic attacks. I didn’t even want to ride Ferris wheels or climb to the top of a lighthouse. Life for me became a restricted, enclosed space rather than a broad, outward expression of freely enjoying life.
The issue evolved into a spiritual one, in which I sought help from counselors and pastors. I felt I was repeatedly under attack. I remember feeling sick with anxiety nonstop for days and even weeks. I had learned that spiritual warfare can really heat up following a traumatic event in one’s life. That was certainly true in my case.
While meeting with a spiritual advisor in seminary, she prayed over me, laid her hand on me and said, “God is saying He will give you your life back.”
God’s Light in the Dark Tunnel: encouragement from the Bible regarding anxiety
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Even in the midst of my dark night of the soul, God’s presence surrounded me. I heard Him speaking and reassuring me. Even more profoundly though, as my chest was hurting from the anxiety attacks, I felt an extensive, profound warmth, that I know was the Lord’s direct touch. The recovery from this ordeal took a while. It was a process.
One day, in one of the counseling sessions, the pastor encouraged me to pick 10 verses and to recite them when I felt I was under attack. Here are the specific texts of Scripture that helped me completely overcome the struggle with anxiety…
1. 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…
2. Psalm 23:4: Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me…
3. II Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
4. Psalm 13:5: I trust in Your unfailing love…
5. Psalm 31:15: My times are in Your hands...
6. Romans 8:15: For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
7. Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
8. Matthew 6:34: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
9. 1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
10. Philippians 4:7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God Gives me my life back
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As the enemy of anxiety reared its ugly head, I would turn to these verses. As I recited them, I would lift both of my hands together to the Lord—palms facing up. I said to the Lord, “I’m turning this over. I give you this issue.”
After several attempts by anxiety to spiritually, emotionally, and mentally debilitate me, going to the scriptures empowered me to the point of declaring victory. By God’s grace alone, I triumphed over what used to be a monster in my mind. Now, I perceive it to be a small gnat. A difference in perspective can really help.
Today, Flash forward to today. I feel I have so much more life in me than I did prior to the period of struggle with anxiety.
I definitely feel like I have my life back, as the Lord promised through my spiritual advisor in 2013.
I’m healthier than I’ve ever been, now in my mid-40s. I’m married with a son.
I boldly took the step not only to fly a plane but traveled all the way to the Philippines where I met my bride.
The Lord has given me such a broad enjoyment of life now.
On the road to recovery from high blood pressure and anxiety, I disciplined myself to take much better care of my “temple.” I changed my lifestyle including in the areas of diet and exercise.
But you know, it’s much more than that. God made me a much stronger, much more confident, and faith-filled person as a result. Praise the Lord!
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Specifically, if you struggle with relational anxiety, find inspiration in the 10 verses/passages listed:
Bible Verses About Confidence | Encouragement Scriptures
If you find yourself worrying about the future and want to break free of that pattern, check out:
https://www.encouragementscriptures.com/dont-worry-about-the-future.html