17 Bible Verses About Battling Depression

Depression is extremely tough and one of the hardest things I have had to battle. Hands down, I would not have been able to do it without God. He just made things easier to handle. I prayed. A LOT. I wanted to share some bible verses that can be of some comfort if like me, God is a big part of you fighting this illness.

Zechariah 9:12 "Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you." All this pain we are enduring currently, and this internal turmoil, will be worth it. We just need to keep our hope, because God will make things better for us.

Micah 5:5 "And this One shall be peace." We will have peace, even if it seems so far away now, peace is reachable. God is peace and will give peace to us.

Psalm 34:18 "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." God is with us when we are broken hearted and weak. He hasn't forgotten us. He loves us and sent his only son to die for us. He will not forget you.

1 Peter 5:6-7 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." God cares about you, so when you feel overwhelmed just give it all to Him. He wants you to and He will listen to your cries. He will help save you.

Psalm 31: 22 "For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You." Again, like it is said many times in the bible: he hears you when you are desperate and need Him. He's with you, you aren't ever alone.

Psalm 37:23-24 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand." God is with you when you are trying your best to do the right things and be a good person. He's proud of you for your efforts, and even if you make a mistake he's not going to throw you away. God is with you and is proud of you, so keep trying.

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Again, God says that with Him you will have peace. Don't get down about having hard times, but try to be positive and be happy while knowing that it is worth it. The world is a place where you will have hard times, but know God and know that He is with you every step of the way.

Nehemiah 8:10 "Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Stay strong! I know that when you are depressed, you may not feel like eating or like you need to make sure that you are eating. It's important that you take care of your body that God has given to you.

Hosea 6:1 "Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up." God knows what is best for us, and He will make things right for us.

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." I love this verse. God doesn't want us to be afraid. He doesn't want us to be fearful of tomorrow. We shouldn't hate ourselves either. If God who made us and loves us, why shouldn't we love ourselves?

Philippians 4:13, 19 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.... And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." God strengthens us. With Him we can do anything. And God will take care of us too. When it says 'all your need', it includes our mental wellbeing. God will find a way for us to be better, whether that be with doctors or by training ourselves.

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you." When we are going through trials, God will be with us. When we feel like we are overwhelmed, He won't give us more than we can handle. When we feel like we are drowning in our negativity and horrible thoughts racking in our brains, He will find a way. God will protect us through the troubles of life. He has always been there and always will be.

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." God will be there when we need safety from the storms in our mind and outside. He gives us strength and helps us through all our troubles.

Psalm 119:50 "This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life." God is here to be your comfort. You are His, and He wants to protect us. Like I've said, the Bible is a comfort, just like God is a comfort. Pray to Him and tell Him all that is on your heart and in your mind. He is there for us when we feel like no one else is. He is with you now and forever and before you even took your first breathe or your heart began to beat inside your tiny chest in your mother's womb.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I love this church hymn that is based off this Bible verse. God is saying he will give us rest, and like said many times before He will protect us and be our refuge.

Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." God can most certainly be of great comfort. If our Almighty God is with you, what do you have to fear?

Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God;Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord." God saves us and shows us life. Just trust in God and that He will work things out for you and find a way. God will help you get out of the bad place you are in now, just have faith in Him.

Coping With Stress & Anxiety According To The Bible

     There are many reasons people experience stress: jobs, finances, relationships, and more. Sometimes it's easy to be at a loss of what to do to cope with that stress; and when at a loss, look to the Bible. Let's see what the Bible has to say about stress...

    John 16:33 says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." God has given us His Word to look to, to help bring us peace and lift the weight off our shoulders. We live in a sinful world and will have to go through trials and trying times, but God says that it will be okay. James 1:2-4 says, "(2) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. (4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." God says to count our temptations and trying times as joy. When we are going through hard times, we are strengthening our patience.

Luke 12:25-26 says, "(25)And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (26) If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?" This verse is saying that worrying isn't going to make anything better. There is actually research that says stress can take years OFF of your life by constantly worrying. Don't stress the little things. John 14: 27 says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." God gives us peace. He doesn't want us to worry ourselves to death. He doesn't want us to be afraid of living. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." God brings us mercy and remembers us when we are going through hard times. He is there with us to help us when we need Him. Matthew 6:34 says, "Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." God doesn't want us to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow is tomorrow. We should just take one day at a time and simply do what we can now. God will be with us and find a way to take care of us. Romans 5:3-5 says, "(3)And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; (4) And patience, experience; and experience, hope: (5) And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Again the Bible is saying that tribulation makes us strengthen our patience. Our faith in God grows and we become closer to him when we are going through trying times. Jonah 2:2 says, "And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heard my voice." God hears us when we are crying out for His help. When we are troubled, He is there with us. When we feel like we are alone in our struggling, we aren't alone. God hears us and God ALWAYS has a plan for us. He has not forgotten about us. He has not forgotten you. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, "(11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (12) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." God knows how hard we are trying and knows all the thoughts we have. He knows what is planned for us in the end, and what the outcome of the struggle will be. Just look to Him, pray to Him, and He will listen. God wants us to look to Him and when we look for Him and His answers, we will find Him.

     2 Corinthians 12:10 says, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." We may be weak at certain moments when we are going through harder times, but God will make us strong through those times. Psalm 57:1 says, "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusts in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy winds will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over and past." Whenever we are in trouble, we can take shelter with Him always. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." God doesn't want us to worry or be afraid, because He is with us and strengthens us. God is there to help us and we can always lean on Him. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." This is one of my grandfather's favorite verses. God is saying in this verse that with Him we will be stronger, things will become better. When we have grown so weary that we feel like we can't go on any longer, he makes us stronger so that we can continue our fight in this world and spread His Word. 2 Timothy 4:17 says, "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." God is with us and strengthens us again, like mentioned in so many of these verses. God will use us and use our troubles in some way to better us or for His works. Our troubles and our stories can be used to help others. Maybe our troubles and our stresses can be used in helping bring people to Christ. This all comes down to God. We are His and He will keep us safe. He knows all that He has planned for us. Just put your trust in God because He knows all. With Him we can have strength.

     Isaiah 43:18-19 says, "(18) Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. (19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." God doesn't want us to worry about the past. We can't change the past so there is no reason to worry about those things. God is saying that He has a plan for you even through all of the struggles. Part of 2 Kings 20:5 says, "Thus says the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee." God hears all that we pray to Him and sees when we are going through trying times. Psalm 34:18-19 says, "(18)The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. (19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all." God saves the broken hearted, and even when the struggles are hard, He is there to help you get out of them all. Psalm 40:1 says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." When we are going through hard times, our patience can get worn out, and sometimes we can get impatient for God to give us a sign, so to say. But we just have to put our faith in Him. He will find a way and He hears us. Romans 8:18 says, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." All this pain and stress you may be experiencing now, will be worth it. Whether it be in a week, a month, a year, ten years, or in heaven one day. It will be worth it. God promises us that it is worth it. God is always here for us. He never leaves our side. Matthew 28:20, "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

Love, Emily.