7 verses on Depression
The bible has much to say on depression. These are just a few of the many scriptures on depression. I encourage you to look up these verses on depression. I also encourage you to look up other verses on depression. The bible may call it something else like downhearted. You can look up synonyms for depression and then look up verses on those words.
1. Psalm 42:5-6
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
We've all felt this way, haven't we? We are feeling down and maybe, unsettled. We know we shouldn't feel that way—but we do. The Psalmist is asking himself why he is feeling this way. He encourages himself to put his hope in God. He knows when he puts his hope in God, he will praise him once again. I have a NIV study bible. The note on this verse says: This is faith encouraging faith. God is his Savior. He has also been his Savior in past situations. But he is also realistic. He states the fact that his soul is downcast. We often can't help the way we feel. We can feel overcome by our emotions. So, he tells himself that because he is downcast, he will remember God—who he is, what he has done for him, what he has done in the past, etc. In other words, he intentionally looks away from his problems and looks to God. He is encouraging himself to look to God—not to his circumstances. When things happen, we have a tendency to think about a problem, then overthink a problem, etc. He remembers who God is. He remembers all that God has done for his people. He remembers what he has done for him personally. So when our problems are getting us down, we can follow his example and look away from our problems and intentionally look to God. This will shift our focus from worrying and ruminating on our problems to praising and worshipping God, being grateful for all he is and has done.
2. Psalm 34:17-18
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
When we are going through hard things, we can feel overwhelmed. We can even feel like we are not going to make it through. The Psalmist encourages us to cry out—not to just cry out, but to cry out to God. We don't have to have fancy prayers or say certain things. When we cry or cry out, we are crying from the depths of despair. Sometimes all you can cry is, "God, help!" We can be encouraged that God hears us. We are encouraged that he not only hears us, but he will deliver us from all our troubles. Not just some, but all. We don't know when or how, but he will deliver us. We are then encouraged that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. We can be brokenhearted because of a loss (of someone, a relationship, or an idea). We can also be brokenhearted because of how we feel—because our emotions get overwhelming. We are also encouraged that God saves those who are crushed in spirit. That definitely describes how we can feel, at times. The Psalms are great at describing how we can feel—good and bad. I would encourage you to read them and if something stands out to you, you can pray those words over yourself, your situation, or someone.
3. Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
When we are dealing with a situation, it can seem to go on for a long time. The Psalmist is recounting how he waited patiently on the Lord. He knew the Lord would come through for him, despite how long he was in a situation. He knew that God would come through for him no matter how long it would take. He based this on his knowledge of who God is and his character. This allowed him to wait patiently. This does not mean we are always patient. But we can trust that God will work in our situation. It's like when parents tell their young kids they are going to go to Disney World. They know with certainty they are going because their parents—whom they trust—told them so. They don't doubt their parents so they are patient in that sense. However, they may ask every day, "Are we going today? It's been a long time. It's taking forever." Patient in one way and not patient in another. That describes us, too. We know something will happen because God said so in his word, and sometimes, to us specifically. But in our day-to-day operating, we can be impatient. "God, will you come through today? It's been a long time. It's taking forever. I don't think I can take this much longer." Sound familiar? In this time between our praying and God answering our prayers, God is building our faith—not in our circumstances, outcomes, other people, other things to "save us," or ourselves—but IN HIM!
The Psalmist then recounts how the Lord turned to him and heard his cry. The Lord lifted him out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. That is how our circumstances can feel. We can feel absolutely stuck—no matter how many times we try to fix it ourselves or help ourselves. If you've ever been in mud or muck, you know you can easily be stuck. Or if you've ever tried to go up a steep muddy hill that was wet, you've probably slipped and fell and fallen back down to where you started. This is how the Psalmist described the situation that God pulled him out of—that only God could have done it. God lifted him out of it.
He not only lifted him out of his situation, the Lord also set his feet on a rock and gave him a firm place to stand. So he didn't just rescue him out of a bad situation, he put him securely in a new place where he could stand firm. We can be encouraged that if the Lord could do that for the Psalmist, he can do it for us—no matter how bad a situation is, or how long we are in it. He also put a new song in his mouth, a hymn of praise to God. So he didn't just rescue him and give him a new place to stand firm, he also changed his mindset. When we are in our problems, we tend to focus—or hyperfocus—on our problems only. We can't seem to think or talk about anything else. The Lord gave him something else to think about, talk about, and ultimately, to focus his attention. By saving him in his situation, it prompted thanksgiving, gratitude, and praise to God. So, the next time you are in a situation like this, let these words encourage you as you wait patiently for the Lord.
4. Isaiah 61:2b-3
…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…
We all know what it is like to be in mourning. This mourning can be not only the loss of someone, but the loss of an idea, the loss of a situation, the loss of a dream, the loss of a season, kids growing up, etc. Isaiah tells us that God will comfort ALL who mourn. These are some comforting words! When we are in mourning, we all want someone to comfort us. God will comfort us when we mourn, not matter what the situation. He not only comforts us, he also provides for the those who grieve. When someone is in grieving, they may not always be thinking straight. They may not think of all that they need to do or everyday tasks may be too big during this time. Someone having a will helps provide peace of mind knowing what that person wanted and providing provision for their loved ones. Insurance also helps to provide for the loved ones, as well. I'm from the south and when someone dies, we will bring food for the grieving family. We bring food for the current time, as well as food they can freeze and pull out when they need it. Just like with all that, Isaiah assures us that God will provide for us when we grieve.
In biblical times, when someone was in mourning or was upset, they would put on a sackcloth and put ashes on their head. It was a sign of deep distress, or mourning—even depression. We are told that God will bestow on us a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning. When someone was glad, for example for their wedding, they would put on a crown of beauty—or a headdress. It was an indication that they were happy and joyful. Also, they would anoint their heads with oil. According to the NIV note, it says that anointing their heads with olive oil was common on joyous occasions. So, in other words, God would make them glad instead of them being in mourning.
Isaiah also tells us that God will give us a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We've all been there, as well. We feel that everything is closing in and hitting us all at one time. We can become disheartened, disillusioned, hopeless, and fall into downright despair. The words "a spirit of despair" are pretty accurate for how we feel at those times. He tells us that God will give us a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. It sounds like an exchange. He wants us to bring him this spirit of despair—all of it and give it over to him. He will give us a garment of praise instead.
When you think of putting on something, you intentionally decide to put it on. You have to make a choice. It says God will give us a garment of praise. We have to decide to put it on. In other words, we have to intentionally choose to praise God. This often times is before God has acted in our current situation. God is worthy of praise for who he is and what he has done for us all. He is also worthy of praise for what he has done in our past situations. He is also worthy of praise for what he will do in our current situation—even if he hasn't done it yet. It is preemptively praising God. This intentionally choosing to praise stands in contrast to a spirit of despair.
5. Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
When we feel down and/or our circumstances are pressing down on us, we can often feel weary. We can feel weak and drained. When we feel this way, everything feels too big and too overwhelming. Isaiah says that even youths will grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall. Even with all their boundless energy, they can get tired and weary. This can be an encouragement when we think of the energy we used to have when we were younger! He encourages us that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Think about the order of what he said. We are to hope in the Lord. In other words, we are to look away from our problems and how we feel and look to God and his power and strength. We have to acknowledge that we can't do it on our own or in our own strength. We humble ourselves and give everything over to him, acknowledging that he is the one who does have the strength. He then renews our strength.
He says we will soar on wings like eagles. If you have ever watched a bird soaring, they do not frantically flap their wings. They stop moving their wings and trust that God will keep them in the air. He sustains them. They are flying, but not in their strength. By resting in his sustaining power, they stay up in the air.
It is the same with us. Whatever we are doing, yes it is us doing it. But we do it in his strength. By surrendering everything over to him, he not only does his part, he enables to do our part—without growing tired and weary, because we do it in his way and strength. We will be able to walk and not be faint. In other words, we can do hard things because he enables us to do it. We are used to frantically moving about and being "busy." By surrendering and letting him direct our paths, we can rest and be productive. He enables us to rest and he enables us to be productive. He renews our strength.
6. 1 Kings 19:3-6
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord, " he said. "Take my life; I am not better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
Elijah is a great example of someone in the bible who was depressed. He was in despair. The wild thing is that he had just been part of a big move of God. He faced off with 400 false prophets. God showed people who he was and he gave Elijah a great victory. The king and queen of Judah were not happy. Jezebel said she was going to kill him. He was afraid and ran for his life. He kept going and going. He finally sat down in exhaustion and despair. He prayed that he might die. He said, "I have had enough, Lord. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." He then laid down and went to sleep. Wow, he was melodramatic! But, before we judge him, we have to be honest and admit that we've all been there. We feel that our life is over from whatever situation we are dealing with and we say we can't go on. We've all said, "I can't take it anymore." We didn't really feel that way, but in the moment our emotions took over and we felt sorry for ourselves. Here's the thing. God didn't take him up on his prayer because he knew that Elijah was tired and didn't really mean it. He was overwhelmed. He didn't condemn him for feeling that way. He didn't rebuke him, give him a lecture, or try to teach him something. He let him sleep. He cared for Elijah and met his physical needs. He sent an angel to give him warm bread and a jar of water. He then let him sleep again. He also cared for Elijah's emotional needs. So when we know someone who is feeling this way, keep this in mind. Don't come at them with your agenda. Care for their needs first. It's like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. You have to have your physical needs met first before you can understand something psychological or intellectual. God modeled this when he loved on Elijah and later had a conversation with him. This is the loving thing to do.
7. Psalm 25:16-17
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
Have you ever felt like this? I read these verses at a particular time when I was feeling exactly like this. It was such a comfort to me. You can usually find something in the Psalms that relates to where you are and what you are feeling. If you are in such a place where you don't even know how to pray, you can do one of three things.
- You can cry out to God in whatever way you can.
- You can simply say, "God, help!" Rest assured, he will hear you and knows what is going on because he is God. He will comfort you and come through for you.
- You can pray scripture over your situation. In this case, you are asking God to turn to you and be gracious to you because you are lonely and afflicted. You are asking him to free you from your anguish because the troubles of your heart have multiplied. What a comforting thing to pray!