Psalms to Counteract Fear & Stress

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 “I 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.”
• Ps 6:2-4 “Have 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.”
• Ps 9:18  “But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.”
• Ps 10:14  “But 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.”
• 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 16:1-2,5,8  “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'” “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.” “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
• Ps 22:1-2 (Think of Jesus saying this on the Cross) “My 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.”
• Ps 23 (the whole psalm)
• Ps 25:1 “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.”
• Ps 27:1  “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
• Ps 29:11  “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”
• Ps 34:4  “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
• Ps 35:1 “Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.”
• Ps 46:1  “God 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.’”
  
• Ps 55:16,22  “As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.” “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
• Ps 56:3-4  “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
• Ps 63:8-9  “I 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.”
• Ps 68:5-6,19-20  “A 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.” “Praise 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.”
• Ps 80:3  “Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”
• Ps 91:1-3 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.”
• Ps 94:18-19,22  “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” “But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”
• Ps 108:12  “Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.”
• Ps 112:7-8  “They 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.”
• Ps 118:5-6  “When 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?”
• Ps 119:50, 67, 71  “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”
• Ps 138:3  “When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.”
• Ps 142:5 “I cry to you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’”

Other Verses for Fear and Stress

Finally, remember that there is a “readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). That peace frees you to always be ready to serve others and put others’ interests above your own (Phil 2:3,4), without fear.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New international Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, inc.™
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