Key Bible Verses About Not Worrying

Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere. – Erma Bombeck

If you are a worrier, you are not alone. Worry is one of the most common human emotions, which is probably why the Bible has so much to say about it. Life in this world is full of uncertainties. Experiencing the impact of unexpected issues such as ill-health, job loss, family difficulties, or a growing pile of bills you can’t pay, can be scary.

Fear of the unknown may cause images of worst-case scenarios to race through your mind as you try to figure out what to do. This kind of thinking is referred to as “catastrophizing.” Worrying, however, will not provide a solution. It is more likely to magnify your troubles and hurt your mental and physical wellbeing. Carried to the extreme, it can even be a killer.

For Christians, it doesn’t have to be this way. If you have a relationship with Jesus, you have a hope the rest of the world does not share. You have a Savior who cares for you, and who wants you to come to Him in prayer when you feel overwhelmed by your circumstances.

The best place to find reassurance is in the pages of God’s Word. It contains many hope-filled, encouraging Scriptures on the topic of worry. Here are seven key passages containing Bible verses about not worrying to get you started.

Write them out on index cards or post-its and put them where you can see them (for example, on your mirror or refrigerator door, or next to your computer). Turn them into a prayer or a song. Memorize them. Do whatever it takes to internalize them and get them firmly planted in your heart.

God’s Word is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). Use it to counter every worrisome thought that pops into your mind the moment you become aware of it (Romans 12:2). Thank God for His sovereignty, and for being in control. Cast your cares on Jesus, and allow His peace that surpasses understanding to flood your heart (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6-7).

Key Bible Verses About Not Worrying

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7

Jesus wants you to “throw” your worries on Him and let Him be the One to carry your burdens.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

When you worry, your focus is on your problem instead of on the God who created the universe, the God who is bigger than your greatest concern could be. It reveals a lack of confidence in His ability to provide.

God wants you to trust Him, to rely on Him, to bring your burdens to Him in prayer and relinquish them to Him with thanksgiving in your heart. If you obey this command and leave what you’re worried about in His hands, He promises to replace it with His peace that surpasses understanding.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze. – Isaiah 43:2

God wants you to trust Him no matter what life throws at you. No matter how things may be looking in the natural, He wants you to have faith that He is in control, and that He will be with you even during your greatest trials and afflictions.

Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail. – Proverbs 19:21

We worry because we want to be in control of our lives and the problems that face us, but only God has that control. He is sovereign, and His purpose will prevail.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit. – Jeremiah 17:7-8

To trust in the Lord means to believe His Word no matter what things are looking like around you, or what your intellect has to say about it. If you keep your focus on Him and let Him direct your life, He will enable you to get through the rough spots without being shaken. A life deeply rooted in the Lord and the power of His Word will be effective and productive regardless of the circumstances.

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest? – Luke 12:25-26

Jesus tells us that worrying is futile. It has no power to help you or provide for you. Only God can do that.

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear; is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned 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 furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:25-34

This passage is full of Bible verses about not worrying. Jesus exhorts us to focus on God and on things that have eternal value, rather than be obsessed with what is temporal. Then we will have no cause to worry, because God knows our basic needs, and will provide for them as well.

This, however, is not an invitation to be lazy. Even the birds put forth some effort to find and dig up the worms God supplies for them, and we need to do the same. While on this earth we are expected to work hard for a living and plan ahead, but after we’ve done what we can, it’s time to trust God for the outcome.

Christian Counseling for Worry Issues

If you are looking for additional support beyond these Bible verses about not worrying, feel free to contact me or one of the other faith-based counselors in the online counselor directory. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss practical techniques for worry management from a Christian perspective.