Jesus and my mental health

I think about 2020 and how it was really a tough year for many people around the world. There was a deadly virus on the loose and the whole world literally had to stop.

Many of us were dealing with fear and uncertainty, and a lot of us even lost family, friends, or acquaintances to this deadly virus.

If there ever was a time when the whole world felt helpless, I believe it was that year.

When you’re forced to stop moving, you’re forced to face the voices in your head you were probably running away from and now with enough time on your hands, those voices were most likely getting louder and louder.

Ever since then, even till now, I believe a lot of people have had to deal with a lot of mental health-related issues. If you go on social media today, you’ll hear terms such as anxiety, depression, and many others being thrown around.

While there are many “truths” flying around on social media, I think it’s important that as Christians we draw our convictions from the word of God in all areas of life.

There once was a powerful prophet called Elijah. This man had called fire down from heaven and performed so many miracles, but we see that there was a point in his life when he was weary and even asked God to take his life.

2. “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

3. And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

4. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let me tell you of another man who loved God with all his heart, his name was David.

In many of the Psalms, he writes of his anguish, loneliness, fear of the enemy, his heart-cry over sin, and the guilt he struggled with because of it.

What about Job and the great loss he suffered that led him to deep grief, what about Jeremiah, who was called the weeping prophet?

What about Jesus, who is our perfect example?

“He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Who do you think the verse above is talking about? It was Jesus!

I’m not here to make little of your pain. Your experiences and feelings are all valid. But I want you to understand that you can indeed overcome whatever it is you’re going through, and you don’t have to do it alone.

Do you know one thing all these men had in common in their times of grief, and when they struggled mentally, it’s that they prayed, even in their pain, they knew that God was there with them, and he is capable of healing our pain.

It’s so easy to want to deal with your pain outside of God. And the devil is banking on you doing that. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask for help when you’re going through a lot.

One of the greatest shows of strength, when you’re struggling with a lot, is asking for help. It’s honestly not as easy as people think, and it requires strength to do that.

But I want you to remember always that God is your strength!

1. “God is our refuge and strength,

2. A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3. Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

And so when you’re seeking professional help for your mental health, I want you to know that it is not mutually exclusive from relying on God to get you through that trying time. Sometimes I think we like to separate the two.

Now there is a place for faith in your healing and it’s important we don’t downplay that. While you seek professional help, it’s important not to ascribe power to the person or the medication, but to recognize that the power to heal you comes from God and he can do it directly or through people or medicine.

I want these two things to stick with you today. The first is that when you’re going through a lot is the best time to run fully to God and secondly, don’t feel guilty for asking for help as a Christian.

Written By Luret Dafur