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According to the Christian website, Family Life (2014), approximately 25% of people suffer from depression.
Are you depressed?
Do you feel hopeless and helpless?
Do you feel as if things will never get better?
Do you believe in a higher power?
If the answer to these questions is “yes” then it may be time to turn to belief in God for relief. In other words, research suggests that your belief in a higher power like God can actually improve your depression symptoms. Moreover, people who follow a religion respond better to psychiatric treatments.
It is important to note that this benefit is not attached to a specific religion – any religion will suffice. A recent research study examining the relationship between patients’ religious beliefs and their treatment results found that those with no religious affiliations were less likely to respond to treatments than those who believed in a higher power like God.
These researchers concluded that a belief in God is linked to better treatment outcomes for depression (Reilly, 2013). A belief in a higher power is not only psychologically beneficial, but it also has the ability to reduce your risk of self-harm (i.e. suicidal ideation, cutting, body mutilation, etc.). How is that so? Well, believing in a higher power like God helps you connect with something bigger than yourself. In other words, it reminds you that you are not alone. Although it feels like your world is crumbling and there is no hope, your belief in God can give you the hope you need to keep going. Most religions teach their followers that “bad times only last a season.” More specifically, even if things feel as if they will never get better – they will. Months from now, the “bad times” will be a thing of the past. Turning your problems, illnesses, and disappointments over to God can take the pressure off of you.
Praying allows you to connect with God or your higher power on a deeper level. You are able to share your deepest, darkest secrets and fears with someone who is stronger and more powerful than yourself. You do not have to worry about be judged or ostracized for your feelings and beliefs, and in return God relieves your stress, depression, anxiety, and in some cases your illnesses. In fact, a study on medical conditions and a belief in a higher power found that those who reported a relationship with God or a higher power healed more quickly and spent less time in the hospital. Moreover, these individuals also experienced significant improvements in their physical and mental health.
A belief in God or a higher power allows you to stop trying to “fix” and/or “control” everything in your life (i.e. mate, financial situation, health, etc.). In other words, when you believe that God can and will take care of everything, you are able to relax and focus on getting better. Things do not seem “as bad” or “as hopeless” when you know that someone else is steering the wheel of your life in the direction that is best for you. Although it may be hard at times to accept God’s decisions, your faith can help you to get through the “rough times.” Most religions also remind followers that “you are never alone – God is always with you.” This belief is most comforting during stressful times. When you lose someone close to you, experience financial deb, or develop an illness or disability, your faith in God or a higher power helps you cope with your situation.
A strong belief in “something” can be wondrous thing. There have been many cases in which a person’s belief in a higher power like God has eliminated cancer and helped a couple suffering from infertility finally conceive a child. Your beliefs can also help you summon courage when you are experiencing pain and despair, keeping you going when you want to give up (Cahoon, 2008). If you are depressed, a belief in God can ease your symptoms by helping you see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” This belief provides you with a “friend” during your darkest times. When you look in a religious book like the Bible, you see instances of strength and courage, which are mediated by the belief in a higher power - These principles can be applied to anyone's life.
Moreover, the Bible, Koran, and others teach you that youcansurvive the most horrific events. The Bible and other works serve as inspirational support guides - They encourage you to find your inner strength and courage, so the next time you feel depressed or “blue”, you can see what happens for you when you turn to your personal way of believing in God. Key beliefs that assist with uplifting wounded hearts are that God will never let you down and God is always there for you. You are not alone. You may be depressed now, but it will not last. God is always by your side – holding your hand, and letting you know that the Higher Power knows best. You may be surprised how much better you feel after praying. Remember that God listens to your prayers. God cares, and although things may not work out like you want them to, there is always a message and meaning behind God's actions. Find your own way to believe in God!
- Dr. R. Y. Langham
Insightful Comments
Before going any further, please understand, I am a born-again Follower of Jesus Christ. I am not a ‘fan,’ I am a ‘Follower’. I like to say a fully devoted Follower of Jesus Christ. Please note and know, that my perspective is from a Biblical worldview.
I believe in psychology, in psychologists, and psychiatrists, and I believe that God has called, and still calls, many people to serve Him through the practices of modern mental health treatment.
I have served in a position as a Christian Counselor for over a decade, and in that time, I have served from the perspective that I am not a mental health professional. I am a Biblical/Spiritual health professional, and I generally limit my visits with my client to a maximum of three. If I was no longer able to help them after three visits I routinely referred them to a Christian mental health professional. I desperately tried to adhere to that principle for the well being of my clients and their families, as well as for the wellbeing of my own family and myself.
I have faced many personal struggles in relationships bother personal and professional. I have struggled with my finances, when I had plenty and when I had little, and I have struggled with employment, especially when I was unemployed. I am no different than say about 100% of the rest of humanity.
I have heard it said that people are at one of three stages in their lives. They have just gone through adversity, are currently going through adversity, or are preparing to go through adversity. Life is a struggle, and as my teenagers have taught me to say, ‘The struggle is real!’
Personally, I do not remember a time in my life when I had to face life’s struggles alone because from a very young age I began a personal love relationship with God through His only Son, Jesus Christ. Just because I have that relationship does not guarantee that I will never face adversity or challenges in life, for me to tell you so would be a lie.
In fact, some of the most difficult adversities I have ever faced have begun since I initiated my relationship with God and became a Christian. The blessing of going through the adversity has been that I was never alone as I traversed the rocky roads because God was with me. The times that I grew the most as a person and as a spiritual being is when we walked together, God and I, through the fires and not around them. We climbed over mountains and not around them. We broke through walls and didn’t walk around them.
My promise to you is that life is more bearable and more worth living since I have a relationship with The Living God of the Universe.
I AM AN AWESOME SPIRIT BEING FULL OF MARVELOUS MAGNIFICENT WORTH TO GOD!
- Bergen
Cahoon, L. (2008). Will God get you out of your depression? ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=4454786&page=1
Family Life. (2014). Depression: God is not silent when we suffer. Retrieved from http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/life-issues/challenges/mental-and-emotional-issues/depression-god-is-not-silent-when-we-suffer#.VIeK0HvQj08
Reilly, R. (2013). The power of prayer: Believing in God can help treat depression. Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2314781/Believing-God-help-treat-depression.html
According to the Christian website, Family Life (2014), approximately 25% of people suffer from depression.
