Psalms to Read: For Anxiety & Depression

I recently saw something, and it made me stop in my tracks. The quote had been posted on a video via social media and said something to the effect that men use their trauma to build themselves up, whereas women become destroyed by their trauma. Was that true? The fact was, I had seen both men and women destroyed by their trauma, and I had also seen men and women grow stronger through their trauma. When I began to research, the National Center for PTSD stated, “The lifetime prevalence of PTSD for women is 10-12%, compared to 5-6% for men.”[1]

Yikes. So, as women, we do hold onto our trauma longer. However, we are more likely to experience the kinds of traumatic events that have a higher incident rate for PTSD (like sexual assault), and we are more likely to seek help through therapy and antidepressants. It may be, too, that we just reach out for help sooner…

I’ve experienced trauma several times over the course of my life, and I could have allowed my trauma to continue to haunt me. And sometimes, it still does. It is usually sneaky for me and creeps into my life without realizing it.

Fatigue is my trigger. I suffer from an autoimmune condition that begins to dominate my entire being when I’m not hypervigilant in taking care of my body. The first sign is that I begin to take naps during the day. Sometimes, I head back to bed for a few hours after dropping the kids off at school. I give myself excuses, like, “It's just my thyroid. Once I catch up, I’ll be fine.” But when I sleep a month away, my work suffers. My family suffers, and my marriage suffers.

Every time I catch it creeping back to try and consume my life, I reach for my Bible. I get on my knees. I ask Jesus to meet me in my trauma. My fear. My anxiety. I talk to Him about it. I ask Him to help me. And then I go for a walk. The Psalms have been like a healing balm for me over the years, with certain ones “sticking” for a while as I process some of my trauma and grief.

Here are some passages in Psalms that I turn to during times of stress and anxiety.

Psalm 1:

This psalm, although not one specifically for anxiety, points to leaning on God’s Word for our strength, no matter what season of life we are in. I love that when you reach for God’s Word, you’ll find yourself planted or “rooted” next to water (any reference to flowing water mentioned in the Bible, know that this is what the ancient Hebrew people called “living water.” Jesus is our living water today; I love it when I find it in the Psalms! ) If we continue to grow in our knowledge and understanding of the Bible, we will grow closer to Christ.

Psalm 18:

Although one of the longer psalms in the Bible, this psalm has a special place in my heart. Between our first two sons, we lost a baby very early on. It was the first time I had ever had the sensation of drowning without being anywhere near a body of water. Randomly, I found Psalm 18. My cries echoed those of David’s… “in my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into Hie ears. Then the earth shook and quaked; and the mountains' foundations were trembling and shaken, because He was angry…. He bowed the heavens down low, and came down with thick darkness under His feet…. He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters… the LORD was my support.”

Psalm 23:

We detoured the Judean wilderness for a couple of hours when I was in Israel. As we sat, surrounded by rock and dry soil, dried-out bushes, and dead snails clinging to what moisture was left in those sad bushes, our professor began to speak about how he believes that David wrote the 23rd Psalm while he was camped out in the wilderness, hiding from King Saul. Shepherding in the wilderness of Israel (which is how most Bedouins shepherd today) is a lot different than we find here in the U.S. When we take our flocks out to pasture here, there is plenty of grass, wildflowers, and foliage for our sheep to eat. But grass grows in tiny patches several yards apart in the Judean wilderness. The Bedouin shepherds lead the sheep straight from one bite-size patch of grass to another along cliff faces and narrow paths.

Tears filled my eyes as he began to read the 23rd Psalm aloud. He was right. David wrote this psalm while in the wilderness. And when we’re in the wilderness of suffering and anxiety, we must also cling to this Psalm and its truths.

Psalm 27:

This psalm is perfect when your anxiety turns to fear when worry begins to affect your entire thought life and dominates your actions. The way the psalm is structured, the psalmist moves through the things that he should fear/dread and ends up celebrating. He does not need to fear because God is on his side. He does not need to dread because God will provide protection, giving him courage.

Psalm 34:

This psalm outlines a perfect circle of how we should turn to God with our fears and worries. If we begin by blessing the LORD, praising Him, looking back at what He’s done for us in the past, joining with others in rejoicing, and continuing to seek Him out, He will answer and rescue us from all of our fears.

Psalm 46:

There are times when we feel as though the world is crumbling around us due to wars, famines, divisions, and strife. We need to remember that in God’s City, there is an abundance of provision and that God dwells there. We read later (in Rev. 22:1-2 and Ezek. 47:1-12) that the river flows from God’s throne and gushes out of it. And this river? Living water… If we find ourselves afraid or with no hope, we must find our way back to the City of God, where He is through His Word.

Psalm 51:

Many Christian counselors, therapists, and pastors hold that depression and anxiety stem from us holding back something from God: whether it’s sin, pride, or grief. If you think that you’re holding something back from God, this may be the psalm to start with.

Scholars believe that David wrote this psalm soon after his murderous sin that resulted in the death of an officer in his army and the stealing of his wife. The baby that came from this sin grew sick and was near death. In his grief, David fasted and prayed for a week (2 Sam. 12), and when the child passed, he stopped fasting, got dressed, and went and worshipped YHWH in the temple. In Psalm 51, David asks for forgiveness (3-11), then describes forgiveness's aftereffects (12-19). In the middle of the psalm, the author asks God to create a clean heart with a renewed, steadfast spirit in him. He asks for a restoration of the and a willing spirit.

Psalm 61:

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 61, mostly because immediately, the psalmist refers to their heart being faint. I don’t know how many times I have lost my heart or felt as though there was no way to move forward except to crawl into bed and cry. In this chiastic psalm (check out this website for more info on this), the author wants to highlight the many ways that God has protected them.

Psalm 91:

Many believe that Moses is the author of this psalm since the name of God here, El Elyon, is used. Opposite of the shadow of death, here we can be protected and safe under the shadow of Shaddai’s wings. (Fun fact: Jewish prayer shawls’ corners were called wings, which is where their prayer tassels hung). When God is our refuge, we can truly REST from our worries. He holds us up with His strength and protection. But we must go to Him to receive it.

Psalm 103: In one of my favorite psalms that talks of the grandeur of our God, we can find ways to praise Him with gratitude and thanksgiving. One of the ways to combat anxiety and depression is to fill your days with prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude for all the ways God has blessed us. Start with Psalm 103 in your prayer, and go from there.

Psalm 121: 

In one of my favorite psalms (okay, I may have several), the psalmist asks generally where his help comes from, and then answers his own question. I love how the psalmist describes God as a watchful Father, almost as if He is a Dad peeking in on his slumbering child at night.  

At the end of the day, the question I ask myself is this, “In my depression/anxiety, did I turn to God for help? OR did I try to avoid and just sleep through life one more day?” If you struggle, just trust me; I’ve been there. I promise He will hear you. He will swoop down from on high and scoop you out of deep waters. He will shelter and protect you.

Please, turn to Him.

*Disclaimer: If your depression and anxiety are becoming a daily thing that lasts for weeks or months, please reach out to your healthcare provider or a therapist for guidance and help.

[1] Dawne Vogt, PhD. “Research on Women, Trauma, and PTSD” Online. Accessed 2-2-24. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/specific/ptsd_research_women.asp#:~:text=Outcomes%20of%20Trauma%20Exposure,-Women%27s%20experiences%20of&text=Estimates%20from%20community%20studies%20suggest,%25%20for%20men%20(5).