Whether you are struggling with anxiety or depression, or both, or know someone who is fighting this mental battle, the Holy Bible offers words of encouragement and hope that can give you an abundance of peace. Anxiety and depression are very personal conditions, and it is easy to isolate yourself from the world, only to become lonelier and more anxious. Have no fear because the One who saved the world also has some words to ease your soul and mend your broken spirit.
1. Matthew 6:34 (ESV)
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
The wisdom in this verse is unmatched in the same way that your grandmother’s stories of past struggles leading her to beautiful moments gives you hope for your own future. This verse tells those who suffer with anxiety to take each day as it comes because being anxious about the future will only make you feel more uneasy.
2. Romans 8:26 (NLV)
“In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words.”
Having anxiety can often lead you to spend hours in silent conversation with God, but sometimes, anxiety can be so overwhelming that you are at a loss for words. That is the beauty of this verse. Explaining what anxiety feels like to someone who has never experienced it can be frustrating, but this verse tells you that even when you can’t put your feelings into words and can’t come up with solutions that would put your mind at ease, God knows what you need.
3. Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
This verse teaches you that even when you suffer, God is shaping you into the person He wants you to be. Anxiety is definitely something to be endured, and being able to endure anxiety and power through it helps you grow as a person. When you grow as a person after overcoming anxiety, you can feel hopeful the next time you go through a bout of anxiety because you know you overcame it before.
4. Matthew 6:25-27 (NLT)
"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life -- whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"
You are God’s child, and if He cares for living creatures so well, why wouldn’t He take care of His child? This verse provides you with a powerful realization that even though you have anxiety over life’s problems, God is always with you. He is always going to take care of you, even when you doubt Him.
5. 1 Peter 5:7 (NASB)
"Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
In only one line, this verse has the power to relieve you of your anxiety. If you let God handle your situation, He will take care of it for you. God is bigger than your anxiety, and He is stronger than you. He will carry the weight of your burden if you give it to Him.
Anxiety is a hard battle to fight, but God arms you with all of the love, peace, encouragement, and strength that you need to overcome anything that life may bring. The Holy Bible offers words that may touch your heart and heal you. All you have to do is pray and trust that God will lead you to the words you need to hear.
