PRAYERS FOR DEPRESSION

Depression is a physical, mental and spiritual condition. It is characterized by the consistent feeling of hopelessness and joylessness. It can come in like a dark and dense cloud; its spirit of heaviness can weigh one down.

One of the ways to help prevent someone from falling down this slippery slope of depression is by going out of your way to make sure others in your community feel their worth. The good Word of God paired with your own good word can be enough to change the outlook or condition of a troubled heart for the better. Practice compassion and make people feel like they are important, like they are loved and like they are enough. We all seek these fundamental needs; these desires were planted in our hearts by God.

Proverbs 12:25- Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down (depression), but a good word cheers it up.  

If you come across someone and see that they are struggling or having a tough time, offer them your support and encouragement. You don’t even need to worry about coming up with the most motivating and poetic thing to say to them. It can be as simple and heartfelt as an embrace and telling them these three words, “You are enough.” Sharing these simple messages of affirmation has so much impact. Compassion and love is what can make someone escape their hole and get back their life.

Unfortunately over the years, society has developed this stigma surrounding mental illnesses and depression that has done our community a huge disservice. This negative stigma inevitably pushes people suffering from depression away from seeking the help they need. It’s a double-edged sword.

Depression is often viewed as a weakness that can be remedied with an attitude adjustment. But in reality, it is more than just a slump or a period of sadness. There are some people who truly have mental illnesses. There are some people that have chemical imbalances in their brains and it’s not their fault. It can stem from their upbringing, their influences or just simply a bad luck of the draw.
Mental illness and depression is not a choice. It is something that occurs over time. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, seek professional help immediately. There is absolutely no shame in receiving help.

Psalm 31:22,24 – You heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help… Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Everybody has that time where they hit rock bottom. It could be anything such as a bankruptcy, a divorce or a death of a loved one. Life happens to all of us at one point or another. You may feel like you have hit a wall and life has you pinned down to the ground. You are lying flat on the ground and all you can do is look up. You feel stuck. You feel paralyzed as you look up and see all the things you want, hope and desire just pass you by.

Psalm 34:18, 19 – The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (19) A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

You lie there, and the decision is do you stand up and start fighting for those things you want, hope and desire? Or do you continue to lie there and stare at all the things you want, hope and desire?

There is no one else that can do anything for you. The only thing that is capable of destroying the cause, process and effects of depression is God’s hope and his word of hope. The solution is to get God’s hope back inside of you. His hope will give you the clarity to once again see all the possibilities for your future. Hope also gives you the motivation to take action and the encouragement to stay on the road to faith and joy.

God’s deliverance can set you free. However, it is in your responsibility to fight for your continued deliverance. You must make the decision; are you going to lie there on the ground and keep dreaming or stand up and start taking action?

The second you stand up is the second that you succeed. The second you stand up is right when you become the hero.  Whatever happens to you next is part of the journey of being a hero. You are your own hero the second you stand up.

Experience the glorious freedom and joy that God has for you. You have the power to succeed and you have the power to stand up. You have the power to achieve and make things happen. Even if you “fail” and things don’t work out the way you expected, it’s okay. Why? Because the worth is in the journey. The worth is in standing up. The worth is in the exploration. The worth isn’t necessarily in the outcome.

Psalm 37:23-24 – If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

So, how do you make a shift in your life? How do you make this change?

Stand up and start taking action. Fight for God’s outlook with all you have. Be your own hero.

Believe in the bible for it holds the mind and ways of God. Read scriptures and verses that resonate with you and inspire you. Meditate on them. Then say some of the prayers below or have your own conversation with God.

Within this freedom you will find more healing, deeper conversations with your soul and more clarity on the purpose of your existence. Stay steadfastly focused on the Lord and you will find peace and brighter days. You are important and you have value. You are not alone.

Isaiah 26:3-4, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusts in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

Psalm 126:5 – Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

“Flow in me, blow your breath, live in me …”

God’s spirit:

Your breath,

your voice that is shouted in silence,

your voice that feeds me if I can not anymore, and no more …

If I’ve tired of fighting, here you are.

My comfort, your hands that heat on the ice,

your hands that liberate from loneliness,

storm, and I get up and walk without hesitation.

Spirit of God, Spirit of God:

it flows in me, it blows your breath, it lives in me.

Blow in me, Holy Spirit,

my longing, the sweetness of my heart, my desire.

Your Glory around me and your power,

breathe the fresh air that gives me freedom.

Your breath, Your voice, which is shouted in silence,

your voice that feeds me if I can not anymore, and no more,

if I’ve tired of fighting …

Here you are,

God’s spirit,

Spirit of God, flow in me,

Breathe your breath, live in me.