By: Peter Trautmann, Navigators City Collegiate Director for NYC
What can we do with our fears when we face a crisis? After reading many newsfeed articles that drain us; these Psalms can counteract fear, stress, and fill us up. They provide profound perspective and real hope! It helps to read each three times, to let God’s heart sink in to yours.
Psalms for Fear and Stress
- Ps 3:5-6 āI lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.ā
- Ps 6:2-4 āHave mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.ā
- Ps 9:18Ā āBut God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.ā
- Ps 10:14Ā āBut you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.ā
- Ps 11:3-4a “‘When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.”
- Ps 16:1-2,5,8Ā “Keep me safe,Ā my God,Ā for in you I take refuge.Ā I say to theĀ Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'”Ā āLord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.ā āI keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.ā
- Ps 22:1-2 (Think of Jesus saying this on the Cross) āMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.ā
- Ps 23 (the whole psalm)
- Ps 25:1 āIn you, Lord my God, I put my trust.ā
- Ps 27:1Ā āThe Lord is my light and my salvationāwhom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my lifeāof whom shall I be afraid?ā
- Ps 29:11Ā āThe Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.ā
- Ps 34:4Ā āI sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.ā
- Ps 35:1 āContend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.ā
- Ps 46:1Ā āGod is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
- Ps 46:10 “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ā
- Ps 55:16,22Ā āAs for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.ā āCast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.ā
- Ps 56:3-4Ā āWhen I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praiseāin God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?ā
- Ps 63:8-9Ā āI cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.ā
- Ps 68:5-6,19-20Ā āA father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.ā āPraise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.ā
- Ps 80:3Ā āRestore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.ā
- Ps 91:1-3 “Whoever dwells in the shelterĀ of the Most HighĀ will rest in the shadowĀ of the Almighty.Ā I will say of theĀ Lord, ‘He is my refugeĀ and my fortress,Ā my God, in whom I trust.’Ā Surely he will save youĀ from the fowlerās snareĀ and from the deadly pestilence.”
- Ps 94:18-19,22Ā āWhen I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.ā āBut the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.ā
- Ps 108:12Ā āGive us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.ā
- Ps 112:7-8Ā āThey will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.ā
- Ps 118:5-6Ā āWhen hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?ā
- Ps 119:50, 67, 71Ā āMy comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.ā
- Ps 138:3Ā āWhen I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.ā
- Ps 142:5 āI cry to you, Lord; I say, āYou are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.āā
Other Verses for Fear and Stress
Finally, remember that there is a āreadiness that comes from the gospel of peaceā (Eph 6:15). That peace frees you to always be ready to serve others and put othersā interests above your own (Phil 2:3,4), without fear.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New international VersionĀ®, NIVĀ®. Copyright Ā©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, inc.ā¢
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
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