5 Comforting Psalms for When We Worry
- Kirstyn Mayden Writer
- Published Dec 12, 2022
I am a Christian and I worry. I worry about the health and safety of my family, my financial well-being, and if I am truly making an impact using my God-given gifts. I also worry about the ongoing global pandemic, systematic injustices, and educational inequities that are prevalent today.
We all worry and have daily anxieties that keep us up at night, consume us, and attempt to steal our peace. However, there is good news today. God is with us when we worry. God wants to reassure and remind us that our worries do not have the final say. As we continually practice surrendering our anxieties to God, we will be able to sleep better at night and be confident that God accompanies us each step of the way.
If you are currently worrying in this season, here are five Psalms of comfort to uplift you:
1. God Delivers and Strengthens Us When We Worry
“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and bring me out of my distress. Consider my affliction and my trouble and forgive all my sins” (Psalm 25:16-18).
In this Psalm, David cries out to the Lord for guidance and deliverance. He is weighed down with burdens and looks to God for relief. Amidst our worries, God will comfort and strengthen us, reminding us of God’s sovereignty. When we seek God with our hearts and recognize that He is with us during both good and challenging times, it helps to sustain us when we worry.
You may feel lonely and it seems that God is distant. This Psalm affirms and reassures that God has not forgotten about you and will uplift you during seasons of anxiety, distress, and despair. God will not dismiss our concerns, but wants us to seek His presence, power, and protection. Today, I invite you to be strengthened and encouraged that God is present and able to help you overcome your worries and anxieties.
2. Seek God When We Worry
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
God will deliver us from our worries and our fears. God’s deliverance does not mean that our circumstances will immediately cease, but our comfort comes from God’s reassuring presence, grace, and calm. Our perspective changes and we have an opportunity to depend on God more.
God does not want us to carry our burdens alone. As we seek the Lord daily, humbly acknowledge our shortcomings, and cast our cares to God, we can begin to relinquish our anxieties. Our God can handle ALL aspects of our lives – including our worries. We do not have to hold back or compartmentalize our anxieties from God. Own them. Confess them and be set free. Seek God, surrender, and receive the support that is available to you to move forward with confidence and faith.
3. God Helps Us When We Worry
“I lift up my eyes to the hills - from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).
When we worry, many times it means that we are trying to fix a situation, person, or circumstance on our own. We become overwhelmed, anxious, and weighed down with the burden of trying to “manage” it all. God does not want us to manage it all. God wants us to surrender our worries to Him and receive God’s help when He provides it.
Worrying causes unwanted stress, health conditions, and attempts to steal our joy. Psalm 121:1-2 encourages us to look to God for help. David seeks the Lord for guidance, wisdom, and direction. Like David, we too should look to God as the source of our strength casting our worries to Him.
When worries come, may we find comfort that our help comes from the Lord. We are not in this fight called life alone. God desires and lovingly welcomes us with open arms to cast our worries to Him. God is with us when we worry, and we can overcome our cares with the grace-filled presence of God. Receive God’s help today.
Photo credit: Bible Study Tools.com
4. God Hears Our Worries
“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:1-2).
God does not dismiss our worries or concerns, but He also does not want our anxieties to consume or overtake us. When we pray, God listens. God already knows what we face and has given us the courage, strength, and tools to overcome.
As we navigate life’s challenges, there is comfort in knowing that God hears our cries and is committed to helping us grow and mature in Him. No matter what is on our heart or is weighing us down, God knows, sees, and actively listens. He has our best interest at heart and has great plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). God listens without judgement and wants us to seek His face daily. Rest assured that when we seek God’s face and word for wisdom, He will lead and direct us.
5. God Covers Us During Our Deepest Times of Worry
“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 23:4).
This familiar verse of the twenty-third Psalm confirms that God has not abandoned us in our deepest times of anxiety, sorrow, or uncertainty. God is with us and will comfort and cover us. Whatever you may be facing during this season that seems overwhelming, do not lose heart. Let God’s word and presence minister to your soul, uplifting you from this season. During seasons of anxiety and stress, God has strengthened and covered me when I did not see the way forward. When worry and unrest come, the hope and comfort of Christ is present, even when you may not “feel” it.
Friend, these are unsettling times and worrying about tomorrow will come. However, let us take comfort in the great news that God delivers, hears, strengthens, helps, and covers us when anxiety strikes. Revisit these Psalms to meditate on and continually practice surrendering your cares to God each day.
Related Articles:
Is Worrying a Sin?
What Does the Bible Say about Anxiety?
Worry and Anxiety Bible Verses
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/kieferpix
Kirstyn Mayden is an author, certified ministry coach, and speaker whose mission is to help women in ministry recover from burnout. She is a wife and mom who loves Jesus with all her heart. For the last 20 years, Kirstyn has served in several ministry roles serving with children, youth, and women. Currently, she serves alongside her husband in ministry in West Virginia. She is the author of Merciful Moments: A Devotional Journal for Moving Forward with Grace Each Day and Merciful Moments Activity Guide. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Connect with Kirstyn at www.kirstynmayden.com.