I have always found meditating on the Psalms to be a source of comfort and strength, especially in my darkest hours. No book in my Bible is more highlighted than the Book of Psalms!
Whenever I become anxious and afraid, I always find myself drawn to certain verses from the Psalms. The comfort I find in these verses brings my soul peace.
Here are a few of the verses from the Psalms I find most helpful in times of anxiety and depression.
Psalm 16
Keep me safe, O God; in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, you are on my only good.
(Psalm 16:1–2)
When I feel the mental and emotional attacks of anxiety or spiritual attacks of doubt and accusations the evil one seeks to plague me with, I turn to Jesus and ask for His safety. I pray that He places me in the refuge of His Heart, where no evil can harm me. I then proclaim that He is my God, over and over, until my fear vanishes and my doubts cease to exist.
Psalm 27
Hear my voice, Lord, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.
“Come,” says my heart, “seek God’s face”; your face, Lord, do I seek!
Even if my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in.
(Psalm 27:7–8, 10)
He desires that I turn to Him always, both in sadness and distress or in comfort and joy. When I seek the face of Jesus I see the truth, and the truth is that God is always with me. He will never abandon me, no matter how far I feel from Him. He will never forsake me.
When I bask in the light of this truth, any evil that seeks to disturb my peace runs and hides because the light of His truth is too much for it to bear. I can then stand, as I look upon His face, and begin to walk again.
Psalm 31
Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
with grief my eyes are wasted, my soul and body are spent.
But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
(Psalm 31:10, 15)
I find comfort in Psalm 31 when the tears flow until I have used my last one or when my anxiety turns into panic and my body becomes weary from the increased heart rate and adrenaline running through my veins.
When I read these verses, I realize I only need to call His name, to speak the name of Jesus, and then my healing begins.
I may not always feel it at first. I may even have to say His name over and over and tell Him repeatedly, “Jesus, I trust in You,” but even then, I know in my heart the healing has begun. The battle may not be over, but my God has heard my cry and is with me in this very moment.
Psalm 42
As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.
(Psalm 42:2)
I find this verse healing when I am struggling with anxiety that is caused from my inability to give God control. The words of this verse remind me of what I truly long for—union with my Lord and Savior, and thereby, union with His will. My deepest desire can only be fulfilled by Him, so I must give Him full control.
I think about the thirst of the deer and the satisfaction it must see when it stumbles upon streams of life-giving water, which it so desperately needs to survive.
This is what my soul longs for too—the life-giving, cleansing, and renewing love of Jesus. Satisfied with this love, my longing is fulfilled, and then it is easy to give Him full control and to allow Him to be Lord of my life.
Psalm 91
Whoever clings to me I will deliver;
whoever knows my name I will set on high.
All who call upon me I will answer;
I will be with them in distress.
(Psalm 91:14–15)
These verses remind me of God’s promise to always protect me; all I need to do is to stay close to Him, to cling to Him.
So when my anxiety rises, these verses direct me to where I need to turn and seek comfort. The anxiety may take time to subside, and my sadness may take time to heal, but my God has promised to answer my call and be with me in my distress. I will trust in Him.
These are just a few of the verses from the Psalms that calm my heart in distress. I’d love to know which verses from the Psalms are most helpful to you when you are struggling with anxiety or depression. Please feel free to share them by leaving a comment below.
May you rest in the Heart of Jesus always.
All scripture in this post is taken from the New American Bible.
Experience the Heart of Jesus during His final journey on earth, from the agony in the garden to the joy of the resurrection.
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When anxiety and depression permeated my body and my mind, I called on Jesus to calm me. I prayed for Him to sustain and protect me from evil, seen and unseen. I know that God is fighting my battles. I am encouraged to stay in prayer and in faith.
Amen! This is beautiful! 🙂 God is good always and forever!
Thank you Lord for all you do for us are am very grateful this morning to you for your blessings goodness Aman
Amen! God is good!
Aliviado estoy al leer estos salmos agradecido estoy Dios bendiga sus palabras
¡Gracias por su amabilidad! ¡Que seas bendecido abundantemente hoy y siempre!
Esta noche no puedo dormir, y esto no suele suceder en mi !! Pocas veces me pasa! Me siento feliz y triste al mismo tiempo! Porque mi vecino tiene cancer y eso me impresiono! Ya tenemos suficiente con esta pandemia y no necesitamos mas!! Pero como dije antes no puedo dormir y no se como llegue a esta página y la sorpresa que me lleve fue tan Grande que me motiva a escribir este comentario que nunca lo hago solo quiero decirles que Dios nos Ama que el está ahí para nosotros y que solo con mencionar su nombre el llega a socorrernos me acaba de pasar y esto me sucede muchas Veces! Porque yo confío en Dios y en sus promesas amén 🙏 Por favor pido oración por mi vecino su nombre y a Raymundo! Gracias 🙏 Diosito les bendiga grandemente!!
Luz, gracias por compartir tu comentario. Alabado sea Dios que has encontrado algo de paz. ¡Rezo para que descansen en los brazos de Jesús cada noche y duerman en sus brazos! ¡Cuenten con mis oraciones por usted y sus seres queridos!
Salmo de David.
23 El Señor es mi pastor,
nada me faltará[a].
2 En lugares de verdes pastos me hace descansar;
junto a aguas de reposo me conduce.
3 Él restaura[b] mi alma;
me guía por senderos de justicia[c]
por amor de su nombre.
4 Aunque pase por el valle de sombra de muerte[d],
no temeré mal[e] alguno, porque tú estás conmigo;
tu vara y tu cayado me infunden aliento[f].
5 Tú preparas mesa delante de mí en presencia de mis enemigos;
has ungido[g] mi cabeza con aceite;
mi copa está rebosando.
6 Ciertamente[h] el bien y la misericordia me seguirán todos los días de mi vida,
y en la casa del Señor moraré[i] por largos días.
¡Una canción hermosa! Gracias por compartir!
I have been struggling with anxiety on and off for a long time. I never knew that it could brings so much pain. It’s 5:00 am; and I was awaken by this horrible emotional pain in the pit of my stomach; and was paralyzed by it. I knew I needed to pray, but I couldn’t find the words. I started searching for a screpture that could give me comfort. I found the healingheartofjesus.com I have found many Bible verses that speak to my heart; but Psalm 46:1-3 stand out. Thank you!!
May God immerse you in His abundant love for you and His everlasting peace always!