The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Mental Health

If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, it can be easy to wonder if God really sees you or cares. But just like our physical bodies can get sick or broken, so can our minds. The physical, mental and spiritual parts of ourselves are deeply intertwined, and God cares about all of it. When we aren’t functioning as God designed, he grieves with us.

When we struggle this way, we should turn toward God, not away from him. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28–29 that he is gentle and humble in heart, ready to welcome us and bear our burdens. First Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our anxieties on God because he cares for us.

In 1 Kings 19, we see God care for the prophet Elijah when he tells God he wants to die. God’s immediate response is simply to let Elijah sleep and send an angel to prepare food for him, caring for his physical needs in the midst of his mental anguish.

Seek holistic solutions that involve your body, mind and heart when your mental health is suffering. Prayer and Scripture reading are important, along with basic self-care routines, such as getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods and exercising. Taking care of our bodies in these ways increases the chemicals in us that make it easier to function.

Sometimes we need to seek treatment with a mental health professional, attending therapy or taking medication to help our minds work the way they should. Relationships with friends, trusted adults and mentors are also important. Christians are meant to love and care for one another, and having a strong support system can make a world of difference.

Even when you can’t sense God through the cloud of anxiety or depression, know that he is there, holding you and working all things for your good.

Taken from The NIV Telos Bible.