Depression is something that has been around for thousands of years. WebMD uses the following words in its definition of depression “Major depression is an episode of sadness or apathy along with other symptoms that lasts at least two consecutive weeks and is severe enough to interrupt daily activities” [1]. People who suffer from depression often are sad or uninterested in anything. Depressed people sleep a lot and enjoy spending time in darkness, rather than the light. God’s Word encourages us to come out of the darkness and concentrate on the things of others. This will take our focus off of ourselves and help us to find true peace and joy in serving others. I have found some things in the Bible that should help you to overcome depressing times. Take a look at these 15 helpful Scriptures.
Featured Memory Verse: Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
God Never Loses Sight of You
Deuteronomy 31:8 “… It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste.
Deuteronomy 32:10: In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.
Psalms 34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Psalms 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
Your Trust and Hope is In Him; Call Upon Him
Psalms 3:3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Psalms 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Psalms 37:3-4 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
He Has Great Plans for You; Hang in There
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
What Should I Do When I Fall Apart?
Be sure to listen to the video in the upper right of this page. ”Fall Apart” is a great song to help us realize that we need to call upon the Lord not only in the bad times — remember to count your blessings and praise Him for them too.
Sources:
The Holy Bible, King James Version
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
[1] WebMD www .webmd.com/depression/ss/slideshow-depression-overview
YouTube “Fall Apart” by Josh Wilson
Photo by Hollie Williams
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Great verses Pam. I suffer from depression from time to time but so have a lot of other Christians too so I know that I am not alone. Thank you. Well done.
Thank you for this Pam.. I suffer from bipolar disorder and am currently in a nasty bout of depression.. Im early in my walk with the lord and am not well versed in scripture.. Its nice to find this.. Thank you and God Bless
Hello SHanun, I am so glad you found us! Isn’t God’s word encouraging? I will add you to the top of my prayer list, that God would continue to encourage and comfort you from His Word. I pray that you will be able to keep focused on the things that bring peace. I challenge you to even commit Phil 4:8 to memory. It goes like this “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” When you do the promise of the very next verse will be given to you “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil 4:9). Thanks so much for sharing your comment here at WCWTK. I pray blessings on you!
Thank you for this resource. My fiance, Katherine, is going through a very low time with ailments that have dragged her into a depression. She feels like she doesn’t have love in her to give because of this, but I’ve witnessed the joy and love of the Lord come through her in abundance. Do you have any specific verses I can pray with or bring to her that can reassure her of this? Any prayers are appreciated.
Wesley, we will certainly pray for her and for you too my friend. Thank you for your comment and I love to pray thru Psalm 103 for it holds many promises for those who are currently going thru terrible afflictions and ailments like she is. That portrays God the Father as a tender, affectionate, and understanding Father who knows our frame and as it says, “and crowns you with love and compassion…As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Try reading that with her and praying it back to God to help comfort her. I hope this helps…praying for her now. God bless Wesley and please come back to let us know how she responds to this.
AMEN!
Hi WesleyG, I am so glad you stopped by and were able to read these verses. I will pray for Katherine and for you. It is wonderful to see how the love of God comes through even those that are hurting. I had a family member that was going through a very devastating life circumstance several years ago and I prayed a prayer out of Lamentations every day for her. This book of the Bible was written by Jeremiah, who is known as the Weeping Prophet. Perhaps you can commit this to memory and pray it for Katherine — as I will begin to do today.
Lamentations 3:22-24 “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” AMEN
Blessings to you WesleyG. I hope this is helpful to you.
It’s so hard to see her like this, so cold.. it feels like her heart is hardened, something I would’ve sworn could never happen to her compassionate self. I know I need to trust in the Lord for Him to fill her with joy again, but I see so many sacrifices coming up… I wish I knew a next step beyond prayer, but I know that there isn’t one yet.
It so hard to see her like this, so cold… I would’ve sworn she could never end up there from the compassion and love she has inside of her. I need to trust in the Lord that He will bring her Joy again, but I can see sacrifices coming up that… I don’t know if I can handle. I wish I knew a step beyond prayer that I/we could take, but I know there isn’t one for us yet. Thank you for your prayers and caring disposition, God has made himself obvious through you both, Pam and Jack.
Wesley G, it sounds like a most difficult thing that she and of course you are going thru. To see someone go thru such a trial is a trial for the one who cares for her too and that is just as hard for you too my friend.
The very fact that you said you can’t handle it is actually a good thing to Jesus who says, “”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28). This means that Jesus can handle it when we can not do it alone. We are also praying for you brother.
Isaiah 28:12 is much like it so imagine that this is God speaking to YOU which the Word of God is intended just for us friend…. “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”
I love to read Psalm 103 when heavy burdens bear down on my shoulders, “11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed,he remembers that we are dust.”
We care and are in prayer Wesley.
She has decided to terminate our engagement.
Wesley, I am so sorry for the termination of your engagement. I hope that we did not do enough or pray enough for you sir. I will continue in prayer for her and for you as well. At times like these, it feels like I am powerless to help with words…so, prayer is all I have. Praying for God to miraculously intervene in Katherine’s behalf and for your sake sir.
WesleyG I will continue to pray from Lamentations for Katherine. My heart is aching for you.
I don’t have much time, but milady has made it through! We are back together and the medical troubles are slowly, but definitely healing. God is amazing. Thankyou for your prayers!
Awesome to hear Wesley. Praise God…to Jesus be all the glory, honor, and praise my friend. Yes, God is amazing isn’t He!? Thank you for helping to glorify His wonderful name. Prayer is so powerful when we pray in Jesus’ name.
Where is God?
We all need help at times. I think sometimes the Lord helps us in unknown ways and other times thru our fellow man.
Im just glad to see people appreciate depression is something to seek help for and that there are people out there trying to help. I saw a fb page for a center in Los Angeles that is helping treat depression with an electro magnetic field. They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. I like to think he works through using us.
Thanks for the memory verses and posts. I am 47 and have been suffering from anxiety/depression for the last 6 months. Doctors have prescribed meds for this as well as 3 meds for high BP. I have difficulty because of the complexity of symptoms and not knowing what is a side effect of the meds. My Lord and Savior Jesus is my greatest consolation through all of this and the support of family, church, friends, etc. It is however difficult to find those that understand my condition (which I do not completely understand it myself). It is good to know that there are other believers out there who can somewhat relate to similar situations. I would covet your prayers and the opportunity for me to pray for others that are seeking God’s help and comfort through their trial. To God be the glory for all things.
Greg, thank you sir for your comment and transparency. I know that many of the greatest Christians who have ever lived have suffered thru depression and anxiety…even old biblical heroes of the Old Testament. You have our prayers my friend. Coveting prayers of believers is the only thing that God wants us to covet. Well said that He gets all glory. I myself suffer from depression, not so much anxiety, but will be praying for you sir. There is another article related, biblically, that I hope you can find encouragement in at the link below. Thank you for gracing us with your honest comments.
http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/christian-depression-help-biblical-encouragement-and-advice/
Jack, thank you for your reply. It helps to know that there is a kindred spirit between brethren in Christ and someone who will pray specifically for a need even though they have never met in person. I will definitely approach God’s throne of grace for you as well my brother while trusting Him to answer our requests. Praise Jesus and the Holy Spirit for knowing our true needs and always interceding on our behalf to our Heavenly Father. P.S. thanks for the additional link to the article (very good scripture references and comments).
Glory all belongs to God Greg, but thank you sir nonetheless. Prayer sometimes it not the least we can do, but the very most and most powerful thing we can do (because of the power in Jesus’ name, not ours). Please do keep in touch my friend. We will all meet together someday…in the Kingdom. Looking so forward to that Greg. God bless friend. I also covet your prayers too. Thank you for saying that.
Hi Great, I say Amen and Amen! My prayers go yo for you. I am so glad you stopped by.
Hi Pam, it has been over 18 years that I open and read the bible on own accord. Tonight, yes I did and I should not had wasted these 18 years. I had thought of suicide many times but the God that we know is wonderful. He never allow that to happen. Losing a home and family is painful. Very painful. But Praise God He will not forsake us.
Hi Harry yee, I am praising God that you have come back to His word. He never left and with longsuffering waited for your return. Praise Him indeed!