Finding the right prayer for depression, one that gives voice to how you’re feeling, can be a lifeline in difficult times. As is reminding yourself of the truth, Jesus experienced the breadth of human difficulty and emotions and He is with you now to guide you through.
Scripture doesn’t promise a life without difficulty, but it does promise that we can live lives filled with God’s peace and comfort.
Psalm 23 is one of the most beautiful scriptures to encourage you when you’re feeling weighed down.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Verse 5 contains a powerful promise that even in the midst of difficulty, God provides for us: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”.
This prayer, inspired by Psalm 23, can help you connect with God even when you feel surrounded by enemies.
“Dear God, thank You for Your invitation to feast with You in the midst of my enemies. I ask You now to help me fix my eyes on You.
Thank You for Your goodness and love, God. I trust in Your promise of eternal life together and take comfort from that today.
God, please help me to find a place of divine rest today. Please refresh and restore my soul.
I ask for Your guidance and Your comfort as I walk through this valley season.
Amen”
One of the best things we can do when suffering from depression is to root ourselves in Scripture. Engaging with a biblical perspective can help shift how we see our lives and what’s happening to us.
When we read the gospels again, we are reminded of how much Jesus walked through. We can trust that He knows our pain. He, in fact, knows the pain of the whole world, and He promises to be with you and to help you navigate through your depression.
John 11 contains the account of the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus tells His disciples, before He arrives at the tomb, that He is going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Even so, this is Jesus’ reaction when He encounters Lazarus’ sister, Mary:
“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.”
Reading through this chapter in John, you see that Jesus never doubted His identity as the Son of God. He knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead but that didn’t stop Him knowing the grief and pain of his death.
We are sons and daughters of God too but just like Jesus, we experience grief and pain. Let Jesus be your example and guide, knowing He’s been where you are.
“Jesus, I know you have felt grief and pain. I know you’ve had friendships and family and felt what it’s like to lose people. You’ve been angry, you’ve been betrayed, and sometimes you've just needed to get away.
I ask you to come and guide me, to be my example in my own pain. Please show me a way through. Just as You stayed connected to God throughout all the difficulty You experienced here on earth, I ask that You draw close to me now.
Amen”
Giving thanks to God when life feels hard, impossible, and painful is powerful. We don’t have to fake feeling happy or pretend everything is OK, but finding a moment to thank God is a brilliant way to stay focused on Him during your darkest days.
“God, I thank You for loving me. Thank you that I can count on an eternity with you.
For all You did for me on the cross, Jesus, I thank You.
For this beautiful world You created God, I thank You.
And Holy Spirit, thank You for being with me in every moment. Even though I don’t always feel it, I can take comfort in knowing I am not alone.
Amen"
It can feel so humbling to ask for help, can’t it? Even when we know we need comfort and connection, those are the two things we can pull away from in times of depression.
Remember this moment in Matthew, when Jesus is'sorrowful and troubled’ and He asks His disciples to stay with Him:
“Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:36-38
It’s OK to ask for people to be with you in your darkest moments. Use this prayer for depression to ask God for help to invite comfort and connection into your life now:
“Dear God,
Please give me the courage to ask for help today. Strengthen me and make me brave.
Show me the people I can connect with on my hardest days and bring me Your comfort to keep me going.
I welcome the connection You bring into my life and ask You to highlight people to draw close to in this time. Please give me the words to reach out to them today.
Thank You, Father, that I am part of Your family and that this family can love me through this pain.
Amen”
Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash
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