When you are in the midst of the storm, studying bible verses about stress can help encourage you and give you peace! Keep reading for more encouragement!
Are you running on fumes? Do you feel stressed out and overwhelmed? In a world where stress runs rampant and anxiety is high, it can be challenging even as a believer to find rest and peace in Christ. We know and believe that the deepest level of peace comes from Him alone, and yet we struggle with ourselves to rest in it.
If stress and anxiety feel all too real for you now, keep reading to find 7 Bible verses about being stressed. Let the words of Scripture encourage your heart and challenge you to run to your Father, who provides the only true and lasting peace.
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Bible Verses about Stress
What does the bible say about stress? Are there specific bible verses about being stressed that we can study to help us overcome the cycle of anxiety and worry that plagues so many in society? Let’s look at 7 verses that can help us during stressful times.
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.”
Among the well-known bible verses for stress, this one is likely at the top.
Logically, we know to take things one at a time – moment to moment. It feels impossible to do so when things are spinning 900 miles per hour and there are plans and decisions to be made.
If you were to pause in the middle of your stressful thoughts or feelings, how much of that stress is about things in the future? Things that have not happened yet? How much are you focusing on tomorrow rather than the cares of the present day? How much of your stress is coming from things out of your control?
For many people, that is likely the primary source of stress – worrying about the future. Here in Matthew, believers are told to not let the anxiety of tomorrow rule today. The question is, how do you do that?
Also Read: Top 7 Daily Devotionals for Anxiety, Stress and Worry for the Overwhelmed Mom
Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
To answer the previous question of how you keep the stress and worry of tomorrow from ruling today – it’s prayer. Yes, it sounds simple, but maybe that’s because it is.
We tend to overcomplicate things and try to take matters into our own hands to manage and control stress. Some people turn to another fancy planner or a new diet plan. Others turn to addiction or create unhealthy habits they can control. The reality is, though, that true peace comes from the Lord.
As you make your requests known – as you lay down your worries and anxieties before the Lord – He will guard your heart and mind in Jesus with peace. If that does not allow you to take a deep breath, try reading it again.
Believers are not called to worry or stress. Believers are called to peace and rest found in the person of Jesus Christ.
Also Read: 9 Calming and Powerful Prayers for Stress
2 Samuel 22:7 (ESV)
“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.”
Another reason people fall into stress is that they believe they have to do things on their own. Whether it was their upbringing or their circumstances that have taught them to be overly self-sufficient, it is difficult to break the cycle of being in control.
Thankfully, we serve a God who sees and hears His people. Even if you did not have what you needed growing up or felt the pressure to take care of things on your own, your Heavenly Father has seen you always and wants to hear from you.
Psalm 94:18-19, 22 (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. But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”
What a beautiful Psalm for stress!
Beloved, you are seen and known by the God of the universe. You no longer need to carry the weight of your world on your own. Cast your burdens upon Him, and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22) in all that could stress you. Allow Him to be in control by surrendering these things at the foot of the cross.
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John 14:27 (ESV)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
While the world is grasping at straws to find peace and rest, you know the source of true peace.
You do not have to grasp at straws to find peace.
Peace is already yours in Christ, and the Holy Spirit guides and sustains you in that peace as you follow Jesus.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (ESV)
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Remember the question from earlier? How much of your stress is coming from things out of your control? Praise the Lord for this verse to encourage you. The surpassing power belongs to God, not to you! If stress is consuming you, open your hands.
Relinquish the control that belongs to Him alone. Your tight hold on things will only increase your stress and decrease your dependence on the Lord. God is God, and you are not. Let Him be in control and find rest and peace, trusting that He can care and provide for you.
Also Read: Undoubted Faith: 7 Powerful Prayers for Faith and Trust in God
James 1:2-4 (ESV)
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
May we always read this as a challenge and a hope. Trials do not feel good, but they are for our good. So, as you lean into Bible verses about stress and hard times, let this one strengthen you. You find your peace alone in Christ. And even as trials come your way, you can find joy in knowing that your faith is growing and strengthening as you depend on Him.
You no longer need to run to stress and control but can relinquish control believing that He will sustain you through the trial granting you peace each step of the way.
Lessons we can learn from Bible Verses about Being Stressed
These verses are just a few of many verses about stress that we can go to. In fact, when you think about it truly, the entire bible is a huge encouragement to help us build our faith so that when stress arises we can seek shelter in the one who created the universe!
From the bible verses about stress we studied above we gained several key lessons about stress and how to cope! Those lessons include:
- When stressed focus on one day at a time
- When stressed turn to prayer
- Remember God sees and hears you
- Know that God provides peace the world can not give
- Have joy, knowing that trials can be for good, and God will redeem
If you believe the Lord has good plans for you, these Bible verses about being stressed should allow you to take a deep breath of relief. The worry and anxiety no longer need to be on your shoulders. When you open your hands, relinquish control, and trust in your Heavenly Father, you find rest and peace that surpasses your understanding.
While the world continues to spin and strive, you can breathe knowing that you belong to a King who has already won and is holding you in the palm of His hand. Friend, seek peace amidst the stress of a broken and lost world. True and lasting peace is found in the person of Jesus. Run to him today.
Written By: Brittany Thieman
Being a working mom is challenging, and the pressure to “do it all” can feel overwhelming. Thankfully, we can learn from Scripture and from other moms to live out our callings while keeping the Gospel at the center of our homes.
My name is Brittany, and I work as a Director of Operations for a company and run a small business while raising my two young daughters and baby boy on the way. My husband is a pastor, and we just recently relocated from North Carolina to Texas for a new church position. The Lord has taught us much in this busy and tiring season. I hope to encourage other mamas in their journey toward pursuing Christ in the messiness, beauty, and fatigue of motherhood.
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