I believe that treating mental illness as only (or even primarily) a spiritual problem is both profoundly unbiblical and incredibly hurtful to those who struggle with mental illness.

I mean, prayer changes things, right? After all, that’s what prayer is. We present our requests to God and he responds. God answers prayer. We’ve known this since Sunday school. But it also raises some sticky questions...

Church can be a tough place for people who struggle with depression, anxiety, bipolar, or any other mental disorder. Not because church members don’t care about those who struggle with mental illness, but because most church members don’t really know how to care for those struggle.

So what does it mean to truly interpret the Bible literally? How can we be sure that our “literal” interpretation of the Bible isn’t actually a theological hack job? Here are some simple questions to help you truly interpret the Bible literally.

When we place our practices above Biblical principles, it’s a recipe for disaster. I want to suggest that we can make this whole dating thing a lot simpler and less confusing by simply holding fast to the clear, relatively few principles spelled out in Scripture. What are those principles?

Have you ever had an “I see it!” moment while reading scripture? This usually happens when we notice the details. There’s glory in the details.

After working with a lot of singles over the years, there are certain principles and practices that I would encourage single folks to develop which will serve them for many years into the future. These practices aren’t particularly exciting or thrilling, but I believe they’re extremely valuable.

Humanly speaking, this is crazy talk. Count it all joy whenever I meet a trial? James sounds like some sort of sadistic masochist who loves pain. But James sees things from God’s perspective.

Mental illness is tricky business. As Christians it is something we desperately need to talk about yet almost never have the courage to talk about.

Like a good Reformed blogger, after listening to it I began thinking about the phrase, “The reckless love of God.” Is God’s love really reckless? What does that mean? Does that phrase capture the biblical concept of God’s love?

My love for the Lord and others is so fickle. Some days I’m hot, some days I’m cold, some days I’m thankful, some days I grumble. But incredibly, God’s love is steadfast.

Are there Bible verses for depression?

It depends what you mean.

The Bible is not a dispensary that we come to for our daily dose of inspiration or good feelings. The Bible is primarily the grand story of God’s plan to redeem a people for himself for the glory of his name.

Nevertheless, the Bible does speak directly to the depressed, which is good news for people like me who often find themselves engulfed in the darkness.

So yes, there are Scriptures for depression. These verses shine light into dark places, give hope to the hopeless, and allow the depressed person to have God’s perspective rather than their own dismal view.

If you’re depressed, burn the following verses on your heart. Print them out. Think about them and rejoice in them. They can be life to you.

Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Lidiia Moor

Worry is the act of imagining a future without God. But Psalm 18:46 provides three words which destroy worry and fuel faith...

Bam! Bible verse to the face (in a good, sweet way). The words “God is my helper” are astonishing. Think about them for a moment. They literally change every situation.