Anxiety about money, health, rejection, failure, the future, or something else? Find the biblical promise you need to face your specific fear with faith.
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God’s promises don’t always guarantee that the thing you fear won’t happen. They guarantee something better: whatever happens, God will remain everything he has promised to be, and nothing can prevent him from accomplishing everything he has promised to do.
Use the list below as a reference. Glance through the headings and find the kind of anxiety you feel in the moment, then lean on the promise tailored for that anxiety.
Acceptance/Approval Anxiety
Are you worried about what people think of you?
“Christ accepted you” (Romans 15:7).
Beauty Anxiety
Are you worried about your looks—wrinkles, hair thinning, body shape?
“We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18 CSB).
“When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).
“Beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).
Financial Anxiety/Retirement
“My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you” (Isaiah 46:4).
“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters” (Psalm 23:1-2).
“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing” (Psalm 37:25-26).
Future Anxiety (Worry)
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
“Do not worry about your life … Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you– you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).
Health Anxiety
“Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NET).
“We … groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for … the redemption of our bodies. … we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:23-25).
Political Anxiety
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1 ESV).
“The One enthroned in heaven laughs. He rebukes [the rulers] in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath” (Psalm 2:4).
“My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. … What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” (Isaiah 46:10-11).
Fear of Aging
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you” (Isaiah 46:4).
Fear of Bad News
“Surely the righteous will never be shaken … They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD” (Psalm 112:6).
Fear of Being Alone/Abandonment
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Fear of Death
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14).
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25 NET).
Fear of Failure/Making a Mistake
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).
Fear of a Meaningless Life
Are you afraid the work you’ve done for the Lord will amount to nothing? People often quote Philippians 1:6 in reference to salvation, but in context, the “good work” God had begun in the Philippians was their financial support of Paul. Their role in the ministry. The promise is that when God begins a work of ministry through you, it will have ongoing effects until the Second Coming.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Fear That God Won’t Forgive You
“Forgive my sin, for it is great … Take away all my sins” (Psalm 25:11 NET).
“Cleanse me … and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
Fear of Harm from People
“The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 CSB).
“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 8:38-39).
Fear of Harm to Your Children/Loved Ones
God loves your children more than you do, and he has more than enough power to protect them—even from themselves.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).
Fear of Humiliation/Public Failure
Are you afraid of being publicly embarrassed, disgraced, or made to look foolish? No matter how embarrassing a failure might be, the person who is accepted by God can hold his/her head high.
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5).
“You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high” (Psalm 3:3).
Fear of Making the Wrong Decision
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).
As long as you follow the path of godliness, you are on the right path, even if you choose an option that doesn’t work out the way you hoped. And God promises to reveal that path.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” (Psalm 32:8).
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
Fear of Rejection/Abandonment
“Christ accepted you” (Romans 15:7).
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me” (Psalm 27:10).
Fear of Slander/Gossip/False Accusation
“He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me?” (Isaiah 50:8).
Fear of Temptation
“God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Fear of Trouble/Overwhelming Circumstances
Are you worried things might get so bad you won’t be able to cope?
“But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you … ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze’” (Isaiah 43:1-2).
Fear of Unhappiness
God will always be enough.
“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” (Psalm 16:11).
“Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, the joy of my rejoicing” (Psalm 43:4 author’s translation).
“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food” (Psalm 63:5 ESV).
Fear of the Unknown
“I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4).
“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth?” (Isaiah 51:12-13).
“If I make my bed in the depths … if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:8–10).
Fear of Weakness
Are you worried that you will not have enough strength to handle the hardship that is coming?
“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. … This is what God the LORD says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth and all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: ‘I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand’” (Isaiah 42:3-6).
“Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save” (Isaiah 59:1).
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:29).
Fretting Over the Wicked
Are you upset about ungodly people having success in their evil deeds?
“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good” (Psalm 37:1).
“I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens … Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Psalm 73:1-17).
NOTE: This article is the appendix to the upcoming book, Peace Through Faith, due out later this year. For some sample chapters, see my Substack. For one example, check here.
Peace through Faith is the second of a two-part series on anxiety. The first, Anxiety and the Peace of God, is available here.
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