depression

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly. The heaviness of depression and anxiety is real, and God sees the weight you are carrying. He has not forgotten you. His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. Even when you feel captive to fear and sadness, He is still thinking of you and desiring your peace.

Scripture makes a distinction that is important for what you are facing. First, there is peace with God, and that only comes through Jesus Christ who made peace through His blood on the cross. When you place your trust in Him and receive forgiveness of sins, the war is over. You are no longer running from God or fighting against Him, you belong to Him. Then, from that restored relationship, comes the peace of God in daily life. That is the peace that guards and keeps your heart and mind, the peace that passes all human understanding, the peace Jesus promised to leave with His disciples, not as the world gives.

That peace is promised to the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because he trusts in Him. In a world filled with chaos and inner turmoil, God keeps in perfect peace the one who turns his thoughts toward Him and rests in His care. When your mind is fixed on Him, trusting that He will take care of what you cannot carry, His peace begins to fill your heart. The world cannot understand it, but you can know it deeply within.

God also extends healing with His peace. He says, peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near, I will heal him. That healing is for all who will come to Him. For those who continue in rebellion against Him there is no peace, like a troubled sea that cannot rest, but for the one who turns to Jesus there is forgiveness, restoration, and deep inner peace. Healing itself is in His hands and He works in different ways. Sometimes it is instant, as when Jesus spoke and the wind and waves became completely calm, and sometimes it is a gradual process. Both are divine, because He created the very processes of restoration in our bodies and minds. He can heal in a moment, and He can also heal over time, including the wounds and scars in the mind and emotions.

He invites you to call upon Him and pray to Him, and He promises that He will listen. Bring your depression and anxiety to Him honestly. Ask Him first for peace with Him through Christ if you have not already rested fully in that, and then ask daily for His peace to keep you as you keep your mind stayed on Him.

I am praying for you now. Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy toward this dear one. Thank You that through the blood of Jesus there is peace with You, and that You offer Your own peace to keep heart and mind. I ask that You would lift this burden of depression and anxiety. Touch and heal, whether in a moment or through a gentle process over time, and do a healing work in mind and emotions. Help this one to keep their mind stayed on You and to trust You more each day. Fill their heart with Your perfect peace that passes understanding and let them know they are not forgotten but deeply loved and remembered by You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.