Bible Promises for When You’re Worried or Fearful

The Bible is full of beautiful promises that can comfort us in a variety of situations. They can give us hope when we are hopeless, make us feel grateful for God’s love, and comfort us when we’re grieving or suffering.

God’s Word is especially useful for times of worry, or when you have an anxious heart. And there are so many Bible verses in Scripture that talk about exactly that! It’s one of the most significant side effects of sin.

So if you’ve ever felt fearful about the future, your health (or that of a loved one), making a difficult decision…and the endless list of things that can cause us to worry, we’ll highlight some promises in the Bible that can assure you of our Heavenly Father’s care and protection, no matter the circumstances.

Specifically, we’ll talk about promises for when these 7 common circumstances cause us to worry:

1. Basic necessities, like food and clothing
2. The future
3. Health for yourself or a loved one
4. Safety
5. Suffering
6. Facing a difficult task or decision
7. Guilt and shame

Let’s explore the Word of God together and discover how to depend on the Lord for all our worries.

1.Basic necessities

Paul says that “God shall supply all your need[s] according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, NKJV).

And to demonstrate this, Jesus pointed us to observe how He takes care of His creation.

In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spends a significant amount of time talking about not worrying. He highlights a few necessities specifically: food and clothing.

Let’s look at promises about both of these basic needs.

Having enough to eat

Concerning food, He pointed us to God’s care for birds, saying:

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26, NKJV).

He concluded by asking a very sobering question:

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27, ESV).

You and I know the answer, right?

Instead of worrying, we’d be much better off trusting God.

Having clothes to cover us

About clothing, Jesus Himself asked, “So why do you worry about clothing?” (Matthew 6: 28, NKJV).

And to show us why we don’t need to worry about this, He pointed us to His care for flowers, saying:

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30, NKJV).

He asks us not to worry “saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” (Matthew 6:31, NKJV).

In fact, He takes it deeper when He says: “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matthew 6:25, ESV).

He then puts our worries into proper perspective when He asks, “Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Luke 12:30, ESV).

He says that you don’t have to worry because “your Father knows that you need them” (Matthew 6:32, NKJV).

But He tells us what our one priority should be. The one thing that He is looking for in us in order to supply all our needs. He says:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV).

When we do this, the peace of Christ will grow in our hearts.

2. When worried about the future

This is definitely a relatable worry. Most of us, at one point or another, have worried about the future and thought about all of the “what-ifs.” But, we can’t see the future, and we can’t control the future. Which ultimately makes this kind of worrying futile.

What does the Bible say?

Well, the Bible tells us again and again that when we depend on God, He will guide our futures.

In fact, Solomon, whom God gave the gift of wisdom to, reminds us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).

If we trust in God instead of trying to control the future, we can feel confident that the Holy Spirit will guide us.

This topic comes up again when Jesus is preaching the Sermon on the Mount.

He saw our tendency to crowd our lives with thoughts of what the future will bring. So He told us:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:26-34, NKJV).

With God by our side, we can trust Him with the future and “be strong and courageous” no matter what (Joshua 1:6, ESV).

3. When worried about your health

Health is something we tend to take for granted when we have it, and sorely miss when we don’t.

God, Himself, gave specific laws to the children of Israel that had to do with everything about their lives. They even included practices which promoted a very healthy lifestyle.

But we live in a sinful world, and even if someone does everything they can to be healthy, they may still experience poor health or serious illness.

Yet, the Bible gives us hope both for this life and the life to come.

The Psalmist also wrote that God will deliver the righteous “from the perilous pestilence (disease).” That no “plague (diseases) [shall] come near your dwelling.” And He will satisfy you “with long life” (Psalm 91:3,10; Psalm 91:16, NKJV).

God also promises to carry our burdens for us, which can give us mental strength during times of illness:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22, ESV).

4. When worried about your safety

To show just how much Jesus watches to ensure we are kept safe, He pointed to God’s watch-care for sparrows.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, ESV).

In Psalm 91, God also promises to be your shield and buckler. To be your refuge and fortress. That “He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11, NKJV).

And even though “a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand,” He will not allow evil to “come near you” (Psalm 91:7, NKJV).

Another one of the Psalms, Psalm 23, also expresses how God will protect us:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4, ESV).

In Psalm 27, 56, 46, 94, and 121, we are reassured that even if we do face danger, humans cannot take away our eternal salvation:

“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 27:1, ESV).

 

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:4, ESV).

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalm 46:1-3, ESV).

 

“When I thought, ‘my foot slips,’ Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul” (Psalm 94:18-19, ESV).

 

“The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8, ESV).

So, every time you start worrying about your safety, turn to the book of Psalms!

You’ll find very precious promises of God’s watch and care for the righteous.

5. When you’re afraid of suffering or pain

As human beings in a sinful world, we are bound to experience suffering or see someone we love suffer.

And it hurts. It just hurts.

And seeing that this could be one more thing that can worry us as we anticipate it, Jesus left us a promise for it, too. He said:

“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world” (John 16:33, CSB).

The apostle Paul took this promise seriously, and it worked for him.

In his suffering, he prayed to God and asked Him to remove it. God’s response to him was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NKJV).

So, with God’s help, he dealt with his anxieties about his difficult situation until he could say:

“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NKJV).

And through prayer and trust in God, you, too, can have such strength even in the hardest situations.

6. When faced with a difficult task or decision

At times, we are faced with big decisions—times when there’s so much at stake that we fear making the wrong decision, or not choosing the best option.

This could be a decision on a business deal. One that either means big profits for your company or bankruptcy.

Or you may be required to take on a responsibility that you feel unprepared for. Like becoming a new parent. Or taking on a demanding job, or having to care for a disabled spouse after an accident, or deciding whether or not to let your teenager do a/b/c/d…

In times like these, God says:

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10, CSB).

And this is not the only place that God tells us not to fear.

Depending on what Bible translation you use, there are so many times in the Bible when God tells us “Do not fear” or “Do not be afraid.”

This tells you that there’s no need to fear because God’s got your back!

In Psalm 34, David writes that God delivered him from his fears, and He will do the same for you if you trust Him completely.

7. When harassed by guilt and shame

Photo by Nicola Barts

You may be worried that God will not accept you because of your past. Or maybe you worry that your past will make you unacceptable to anyone else you befriend.

Maybe you have gone through all these promises in this post, and thought they don’t apply to you because of things you have done. It could be you’ve made mistakes that you have regrets about.

Whether only you know about them or the whole world knows about it, know that God knows, too. And the good news is that He doesn’t want you to keep worrying over whether or not He accepts you.

All He wants you to do is come to Him as you are, confessing your sin to Him in repentance. A good example of such repentance is found in Psalm 51.

And His promise to you is:

 “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25, NASB).

And whenever you find yourself doubting His forgiveness and acceptance, hear Him saying to you:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1, NKJV).

Believe Him when He tells you that all these promises can be yours, too, if you trust Him. Trust Him as the one who has your best interest at heart. The one who has you under His constant watch care because you are His.

The peace of God can be in your heart:

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your heart” (Colossians 3:15, ESV).

He is the one who tells you, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1, NKJV).

And as you go on to live your life fearless and worry-free, always remember Jesus Christ sends you out each day saying:

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful” (John 14:27, CSB).

Use some of these verses and claim the promises of God in your next devotional time and find peace and rest for your soul.

Want to learn more about how you can have peace in your life through Jesus?

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