Cast Your Cares on the Lord: Scriptures to Help You Deal with Anxiety

The Bible speaks often about anxiety, recognizing how it can take away our joy, sense of peace, and enjoyment of life. This is not how things were meant to be. We are each affected by the uncertainty of this world and our lives in different ways.

For some people, anxiety may be a mild inconvenience that they can overcome with some focus and effort. For others, anxiety may be an unbearable weight and a dark cloud that hangs over them daily, and that makes everyday tasks nearly impossible. Whatever the case, you can lean on God’s word to help you address your anxiety.

You may need additional help handling your anxiety, but a great place to start is with the abundant reminders of the Lord’s care for you.

God cares for you

Recognizing that God cares for you can be a great support during trying times. It’s something that we can pray or remind ourselves of in the moments when anxiety threatens to overwhelm and overtake us. We can find many verses in the Bible about how much God cares for us.

One of the key places to go is 1 Peter 5: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7, NIV) Peter is writing this to people experiencing terrible persecution, and many anxieties were stirred in the wake of that suffering.

Another passage that reminds us of God’s abundant care is Luke 12. When we are feeling fearful and concerned for our future, we are reminded by Jesus: “‘Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.’” (Luke 12:6-7, NIV)

If God knows how many hairs are on our heads, rest assured that He knows our circumstances in minute detail and is looking upon us with attentive care. God cares for all of creation, but we are reminded here that He pays special attention to us.

One of the more well-known Bible passages reminds us of God’s care for us. It tells us that even in the direst circumstances, God is with us, so we don’t have to be afraid:

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:1-4, NIV

Replacing Anxiety with Hope, Prayer, and Love

When anxiety crowds our hearts and minds, it eclipses everything else we may know to be true. Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It is a feeling of fear or apprehension about things to come, whether a meeting, social occasion, job interview, or a date. A person who has an anxiety disorder will frequently have intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations such as these.

An anxiety disorder requires treatment from a mental health professional, particularly if it begins to affect one’s life. Often, a therapeutic intervention called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will be used. This is a form of talk therapy that helps a person identify any patterns of thought or behavior that negatively affect them and that do not align with reality.

Having identified those patterns, the therapist will help the person replace those patterns of thought and behavior with positive ones that promote their well-being.

To overcome anxiety, it’s not enough to name and understand the negative patterns and unhelpful thoughts that exacerbate the situation. Those thoughts need to be replaced. Some of the helpful thoughts and patterns of behavior can be drawn from Scripture. Below are a few examples that can help a person who struggles with anxiety.

Anxiety often drives a person inward, and once the spiral of negative thoughts begins, it can keep going endlessly. Instead of peering inward, one can look upward and outward, toward God.

Philippians 4 encourages us, saying, “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.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

Turning one’s thoughts toward God and replacing anxious thoughts with prayer and thanksgiving can help develop a pattern of taking a positive outlook that lessens the grip of anxiety and allows one to rest in the peace of God.

Another helpful passage is from Jesus in Matthew 11.

“‘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, NIV

In our anxiety, we often turn to other things in our thoughts and maybe even in our actions. Replacing that by approaching Jesus with our concerns can help us unburden ourselves when laying the outcome of our circumstances at His feet. He delights to relieve us of our cares.

Anxiety has the effect of suffocating hope and making a situation seem desperate beyond relief. This isn’t true, but our brains, beating hearts, sweaty palms, rapid breath, and tense muscles all say it is. But there is hope, whatever the situation, if our hope is in God. Though your body and your mind might be telling you something is true, the hope that is found in God can transcend even the darkest circumstances.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
 Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. – Psalm 42:11, NIV

God saves. The future, whatever it holds, can be hopeful because of who God is and what he has done in the past. Sometimes, if you are experiencing a panic attack, focusing your mind on something else can help you calm down. You can recite this verse or remind yourself of God’s rescues and the ways He’s saved you in the past to help you calm down.

Coming back full circle, it’s important to remember that we are loved. Our anxiety can have a rational root, but it can also be irrational and disproportionate to the circumstances. Either way, we are reminded of how much God loves us and just how safe we are in His hands.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35, 37-39, NIV

Finding Hope as You Cast Your Cares on the Lord

Anxiety can be a huge struggle that overwhelms your life and makes everyday tasks seem insurmountable. Anxiety can detract from your enjoyment of life and ability to do the things you’d like to do. If you are struggling with anxiety or an anxiety disorder, seek the help and support you need from a mental health professional. With a proper diagnosis and a treatment plan tailored for your needs, you can reclaim the peace that God intends for you.

Start by reaching out to our reception team to connect with me or another counselor who can help.