Bible Verses By Need

14 Bible Verses for Depression

When the darkness feels total and even prayer is heavy, God draws near to the broken-hearted. He does not despise a weary soul. He stays, and He is gentle.

What the Bible says about depression

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Psalm 34:18
He does not wait for you to feel better before He comes close. He is nearest the broken.
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him.”
Psalm 42:11
It is not faithless to feel low. Preach hope to your own soul, gently, one more time.
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3
He is a healer of hearts, not only bodies. Your wounds are not too much for Him.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5
The night is real, and it is not the end. Morning is coming, even if slowly.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me... to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
Isaiah 61:1,3
He specializes in exchanges: beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for heaviness.
“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”
Psalms 40:2
God is able to lift you out of the miry pit and set your feet on solid ground again.
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.”
Psalms 3:3
When your head hangs low, the Lord promises to be the One who lifts it up.
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
Lamentations 3:22
It is because of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, even in our darkest stretch.
“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:23
His compassions are new every single morning, so even a hard today does not exhaust His faithfulness.
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”
Psalms 42:5
The psalmist speaks honestly to his own downcast soul and chooses to hope in God anyway.
“Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.”
Psalms 71:20
God who has seen your troubles is also the God who revives and brings you up again.
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;”
2 Corinthians 4:8
You may feel pressed on every side, yet Paul insists such pressure does not crush those God holds.
“Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;”
2 Corinthians 4:9
Cast down does not mean destroyed, for God does not abandon His own in the low places.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Romans 15:13
The God of hope can fill you with joy and peace so that hope overflows by the Spirit's power.

A prayer for depression

Father, I am worn down, and some days I can barely lift my head. Thank You that You come near to the broken-hearted, and that You do not need me to pretend. Hold me in this darkness. Bind up what is wounded in me. Send someone to sit with me, and let me feel, even a little, that I am not alone. Bring the morning. In Jesus' name, amen.

You do not have to face this alone

The family will pray with you, and you can hear how Christ met someone else in the same place.

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People also ask

What Bible verse helps with depression?
Psalm 34:18 comforts many in depression: 'The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.' It promises God's nearness in the lowest place.
Does the Bible talk about depression?
Yes. Psalmists like David, and prophets like Elijah, expressed deep despair, and God met them with presence, rest, and care, never condemnation.
Where in the Bible for when you feel hopeless?
Psalm 42, Psalm 88, and Lamentations 3 give honest words for hopelessness, and Lamentations 3:22-23 turns toward hope: His mercies are new every morning.
More Scripture for what you carryGrief and LossLonelinessStrengthHealing and SicknessForgivenessBible verses about depression
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