Prayer is the LIFELINE for mental health challenges! Struggling with mental health literally translates as being stuck in our own heads. Prayer requires us to reach out to a Being that is outside of us and ask Him to speak into our pains.
The Bible encourages us-
““Let us then with confidence (boldly) draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.””
““Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” ”
The Lord has been clear! He wants to hear our requests. This is the place to ask for whatever we need, including relief, wisdom, and direction concerning mental health struggles.
But making our requests is not the only purpose of practicing prayer.
Prayer is multifaceted. Jesus modeled that we are to practice discussing multiple points with the Father during prayer- 1) worship, 2) His will, 3) our needs/requests, 4) confession and forgiveness, 5) spiritual warfare. (See Matthew 6) All of these facets are important to mental health!
“‘Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”
Worship first reminds us that He is good, which can be really challenging to embrace in the middle of a mental health crisis.
Acknowledging His will reminds us that things may not go the way we desire, but we can trust that the end result will be good. He has good plans. Usually when someone is contending with mental health, there’s an overwhelming sense that things are not going as we desire. This perspective given in prayer, can give hope in that difficult place.
Next is, again, presenting God with our needs and requests. God loves to provide for us! (See Phillippians 4:19) It just may not always look the way we thought or wanted.
We are also to practice confession and forgiveness. The practice of confessing sin (mistakes and/or bad choices) and receiving forgiveness is relieving to anyone, which can be especially poignant when in the middle of a mental health battle. If there are feelings of guilt compounding the pain of the situation, this practice is relational salve.
Lastly, we are to go to Him to ask for deliverance from temptations we may be coming up against. Mental health crises can weaken our firm footing against temptations as we long for comfort. Asking for strength during these seasons is imperative to be fortified to stand against temptations with fleeting relief and find true comfort in the Father.
Let’s be clear about something here… not all prayers incorporate all of these elements. I’m reminded of Peter who, when he began to sink beneath the waves after boldly attempting to walk on water, cried out “Lord save me!” (See Matthew 14) or my modern interpretation, “Help!” Sometimes that’s the full prayer. It’s an honorable prayer that the Lord definitely listens to and responds (as we can see in the following verse - “Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him…”). Sometimes each of these facets are practiced in different prayers at different times.
The detriment is, if we only ever approach God with our laundry list of needs and desires, we miss out on so much comfort and understanding that His presence and character provide! There is a ton of new science out confirming that close relationship relieves the symptoms of mental health issues. It is worth taking the time to practice these other points of prayer and listen! It is just as you would if you were wanting to connect in any other relationship! And who knows, God may have something for you that you never would have asked or imagined!
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”