A note from Heidi:
I really appreciated this post from Candace. Many moms suffer from anxiety—mine was diagnosed as “clinical” when I was twenty-one. I grew up in a home where we were always, always at “Defcon 7,” and I took my childhood anxiety with me into my adult life. I thought that being out of that environment would solve it—but by that time, fear was deeply engrained into my spirit.
This has been something I have had had to struggle with for as long as I can remember—but God has used it to teach me that He is a safe place. His Word calms anxious hearts and reminds us that fear is not from God. I love that Candace takes anxious moms back to the Word—because grace really is new there. We don’t have to live with constant fear and anxiety. God’s mercies really are new each morning.
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The anxious mama. Yep, that has been me more times than I’d like to admit. Worrying over silly things, worrying over big things. I didn’t use to think of myself as a worrier, but I realize I was just calling it something else, I think. My “worries” were usually fears over my kids’ futures, fears that I had ruined them, fears that I was messing up. Worry. Fear. They both go hand in hand, don’t they?
When I’m feeling anxious, the very best thing for me to do is spend some time with the Lord and in prayer.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
God tells us right here in His Word that when we are anxious and come to Him in prayer, with thanksgiving, the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. What a gift!! Dig in to God’s Word and your heart will fill up with His peace.
10 Verses for the Anxious Mama
1. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”
2. Proverbs 12:25 “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”
3. Matthew 6:25-34 “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 store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed 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 fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
4. Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
5. Psalm 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? ”
6. Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…”
7. Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”
8. 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”
9. Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
10. Psalm 91
“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.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
How can these 10 verses help our anxiety?
My suggestions for you are to write these verses out on notecards and carry them with you, place one by the kitchen sink, memorize them one at a time, when you feel anxiety coming on, repeat one of them aloud, repeat it again and again. Meditate on the passage. Pray through the verse asking God for help. He will comfort you through His Word!
Print out this verse from 1 John and frame it, place it in your bathroom or by your bed as a constant reminder of His perfect love. Let this verse bless you and not condemn you. This verse doesn’t mean that if you fear you must not have the love of Jesus in you. God knows that until we meet Him face to face, we are human and in our humanness we stumble, fall and even fill with anxiety and fear. This verse gives me such hope because when I GO TO HIM, His love is perfect. I am not perfect, HE IS. For that perfect love to cleanse me, renew me, sustain me, I must be WITH Him. Spend time with Him today, dear ones, His perfect love will cast out the fear in your heart.
{Click on this PDF link OR the graphic to download your PDF and print!}
Candace and Heidi, Thank you both for your honesty and for taking the time to put together this collection of verses. I copied and pasted them into a new document which I printed to put up in multiple places in my home. The timing of this post was great as I also struggle with anxiety and fears and worrying and this past week was a hard week to get through and this was timely encouragement for this mama who’s been just clinging to The Rock, praying the storm will pass. Praying for you two, too.
Carrie, thank you! I know how it is when you feel like you need to have it all together but … it’s not. I appreciate your honesty as well. ((hugs)) heidi
Thank you for this post and the reminder that anxiety is a common issue that many of us face. You know it is bad when your doctor actual tells you to quit stressing out. Yep, that happened to me. I was raised by an extremely anxious and worried mother and it is a constant struggle. I hope and pray that I don’t pass it along to my children. Thank you for posting these verses in one easily accessible place. It is often easy to think that a strong Christian woman must not deal with anxiety and must have such peace and that there must be something wrong with me if I still struggle with it. Thanks for your honesty!
You’ve got this <3 ... with God, all things are not necessarily *easy* but they ARE ... possible! Thanks for posting! Many moms (including me) can relate to you!
Thank you for your posting and these verses. I was an anxious person prior to my pregnancy and I found myself having issues with anxiety after the birth of my child.
It’s great to be able to go to one place and remind myself that the Lord is here with me, cares for me, and is unchanging even when my mood changes. It’s so nice to know I’m not along in my feelings too. Thank you so much.
You are NOT alone. Keep being real. Keep talking. Hugs to you, Alex!
Even when your kids are all grown worry can still overtake you…then add 8 grandkids!!!! Philippians 4 listed above became my verse for the year when I saw that the peace OF God would be mine when I gave Him all of my worries by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. He gives me the peace that He has over my situation. I see a soldier standing at my heart and mind guarding them. Thanks for the encouragement you give moms and even us grandmas.