This six-day devotional series will encourage your spirit and point your heart to Jesus for those struggling with mental health. Each day you will have an affirmation and prayer to cling to as you build your faith.
Carla Arges
Day 1
Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8
Have you ever had someone leave your life abruptly? Or maybe it was more of a slow withdrawal, where calls and texts became few and far between before finally disappearing? Feelings of abandonment can be devastating, especially when they happen when we are seemingly at our lowest.
Maybe your sense of abandonment started as a child, at home with your parents or at school where you lost a close friend. Maybe you’ve had your marriage come to a heartbreaking end. Or maybe you can’t quite put your finger on a specific situation, but the feeling of constant abandonment looms overhead.
I can imagine Christ knows what it’s like to feel abandoned. In Matthew 26:56 we read how His disciples “forsook Him and fled” when the Pharisees came with the temple guard and Roman soldiers to arrest Him. His friends, ones that he had ministered to, provided for, and placed in His inner circle…abandoned Him. When things got tough, they split.
Wrestling with feelings of abandonment can feel like wading through deep mud. And if we’re not careful, it can set off a downward spiral that leads to broken relationships, isolation, fear, and depression.
But God sees your pain, and in love is reaching down to comfort your heart. Not just out of sympathy, but from a deep understanding of having experienced this Himself.
His promise to you is to be with you always. As your Abba Father. As your Friend.
He will never leave you.
The Promise
The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
The Affirmation
I am cherished by my everlasting Father.
The Prayer
Dear Lord, you see my pain. You see how I feel abandoned and left behind. Help me to know your presence in my heart right now. Forgive me when I look to all who have forsaken me rather than to the one who never leaves me. Thank you that I have the surety of your presence. Amen.
Day 2
Scripture: Psalms 34:18
An underlying feeling of brokenness has plagued me most of my life. And in a world that considers broken things to be of no value, struggling with the reality of broken bodies, broken minds, broken relationships, and broken lives can feel utterly helpless.
We need to understand that we are indeed imperfect people living in a broken world; but even so, God takes great delight in us, rejoicing over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). We may not understand why brokenness exists in our lives, but we can hold on to the promise that He will work all things together for His good (Romans 8:28).
Now, that does not mean all things will feel good. We see that example in Paul as he was afflicted with “a thorn in my flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Even after pleading with the Lord to remove this brokenness, to which the answer was no, he is assured that Christ’s grace is sufficient in his brokenness. Christ’s power is made perfect in his weakness.
Romans 8:28 means that God will weave our brokenness together in such a way that the result – on this side of eternity or the other – is good. We can take our brokenness to Him and know His heart for us is restoration. And that is a gift He ultimately gives us as we put our hope in Him.
The Promise
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The Affirmation
I am whole in Him.
The Prayer
Dear Lord, you see me in my brokenness. You see how I feel utterly torn down by my affliction. Help me to trust your nearness. As Paul pressed on, help me to press on in the race you have given me to run. Help me to rest in your grace, knowing it is and will be all-sufficient to meet all my needs. Thank you that I can trust your goodness. Amen.
Day 3
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
Are you finding yourself in the pits of despair? It’s a dark place I’ve become all too familiar with in the past. Perhaps you are feeling that your situation – maybe even your battle with mental health itself – is hopeless. That your tunnel doesn’t come with a light at the end of it.
Many heroes of faith faced the same type of despair and anguish you’re feeling today. Job, as he lost everything (Job 3:26), David as he struggled with his weaknesses (Psalm 38:4), Elijah while on the run from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:4). Even Jesus sweat blood in anguish over his looming death and separation from God (Luke 22:44). Take heart in knowing you are not alone.
And be encouraged. What we focus on grows. Despair is often driven by our thoughts focusing on our struggles and obstacles. So as we intentionally switch our focus – from despair to our God-given right to live in joyful confidence in Him – we begin to ignite that light in our tunnel. The Psalms are a beautiful illustration of how David kept bringing God’s love and mercy back into focus despite his battles with despair.
Focusing on how God has helped us overcome in the past – because He has – and His promise to be with us now is the very renewing of our minds that Paul calls us to do in Romans 12:2. It is moving our thoughts from being feelings, which lead to being shaped by the truth of the word of God.
The Promise
“We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
The Affirmation
I will not let my feelings drive me – for my God is greater than any circumstance.
The Prayer
Dear God, I do feel pressed. Struck down. Anguished. Overcome by the darkness of despair. I do not want to live in this place though, God. I want to live in the joy that has been promised to me. Help me to move my focus from my situation to my salvation. From my feelings to my faith. From my trial to my ultimate triumph. It’s hard to renew my mind. I battle my mind constantly. Strengthen me, guide me, and remind me to keep my focus fixed on you. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Day 4
Scripture: Isaiah 41:10
Fear bombards us from an early age. From being afraid of the dark to the fear of being called on in class it can feel like the frenemy that’s always there ready to take us down.
As adults, we are confronted with the realities of a broken world daily and that can elicit a sense of fear in us in all our comings and goings; fear that harm will come to us or our loved ones, fear of not meeting financial obligations, fear of rejection, fear of failure; the list of fears seems endless.
Some variation of “Fear Not” is found in the Bible over 365 times. That is a daily reminder from God to not let fear grip us. Paul reminds us that in Christ, we do not have a spirit of fear, but of “power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7). That means despite our illness’s propensity to fear, we can take authority over it and trust God to walk alongside us.
Fear is a popular weapon of the enemy to overwhelm us and keep us from living an effective life. But what the enemy means for our harm can be turned to good if we use that fear to press more fully into Christ and gird up our faith in Him.
It’s not always easy to move forward in purpose when fear strikes, but it is ultimately a choice we have. A choice to not allow fear to control your life. A choice to focus on what is true. A choice to guard your heart and mind against fear-inducing consumption. A choice to surrender control of the circumstances of your life over to God. The loving assurance is to fear not, but the choice to embrace that – even though it’s difficult – is ours.
The Promise
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
The Affirmation
Fear does not have control of my life. I am safe in God’s hand.
The Prayer
Dear God, you have told me to fear not. But I feel afraid. Scared. Stuck in my fear. Help me to release my concerns to you and move forward according to the purpose you have over my life. I want to choose you. To choose freedom. But it’s hard. I can’t do it alone. Remind me that you are here. Give me the strength to talk back to my fear in the authority of Christ. Thank you for your help and your presence in my life. Amen.
Day 5
Scripture: Isaiah 40:31
Feeling like everything is falling apart around you is one of the ways we find ourselves feeling hopeless. When things aren’t turning out as we envisioned, when we’re hit with struggle, or when our resources seem tapped out, hopelessness is often the result for many of us.
The truth is our hopelessness is often the result of misplaced hope. Like the woman with the blood issue, she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. And in that, she grew hopeless. (Luke 8:43-48)
In our modern world, God often works through doctors and medicine. And that’s a good thing. But our hope should not be in the vessel through which God is working but in God Himself. Anything and anyone else will eventually fail or disappoint us.
If our hope is in that which is fallible, we set ourselves up for hopelessness. But if we cling to the source of all hope – Christ himself – then we can weather the storms in greater boldness and surety of our future.
When you’re in the pit it can be hard to see how God will bring you out. But just like the woman in Luke who reached out to touch Christ and restore her hope, we can reach out too. What’s more, we don’t just get a temporary brush of His cloak. We get the fullness of His spirit every day.
The Promise
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. Isaiah 40:31
The Affirmation
I will put my hope in the Lord and keep my eyes fixed on Him.
The Prayer
Dear God, thank you for hearing my prayer. Thank you that even though I feel like I am in a pit, you have assured me that you will never leave me. Help me to take my eyes off of temporal sources of hope and keep my gaze fixed on you – my eternal source of hope! I may not know how my situation will change, but I choose to believe your promise to give me strength and hope through it all. Thank you for your ever-present help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Day 6
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:7
How will I tackle my to-do list? What if I fail? How will this situation play out? What does the future hold?
Worry and anxiety can be crippling. It can come from a variety of sources; from worrying about money, family, relationships, or battling through the very real challenge of an anxiety disorder. At the end of the day, it’s all the enemy’s attempt to blind us from seeing God at work in our lives.
When we allow anxiety to grip our hearts and minds it pushes out gratitude and peace. It causes us to doubt the love our Heavenly Father has for us. It causes us to doubt God, period.
When we worry, where is our focus? On our lack or His sufficiency? On an unknown tomorrow or a known God? Paul reassures us In Philippians 4:6-8 to keep our focus on Him in times of worry – to lay our anxieties before Christ in prayer, picking up His peace and focusing on the things that are noble, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy.
God invites us to bring our burdens to Him. The ones that make sense and the ones that are hard to articulate. He’s promised to give us rest – our minds rest – as we cling to Him and the truth about how much He cares for us and the details of our lives. God’s character is steadfast – we can trust that we are more valuable than the lilies of the field.
The Promise
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
The Affirmation
I will focus on my gratitude and trust the Lord with my cares.
The Prayer
Dear God, you see my anxious heart. You see how I long to be rid of the burden of worry, but it is so hard for me. Help me to release my concerns to you. Help me to focus on your goodness and trust in your care for me. Let gratitude and thanksgiving arise in my heart as I release the unknown into your loving hands. Amen.