A Prayer for Those Struggling

I have had a heavy spot in my heart for a while for the struggle of the mind. 

In a time when the world is spinning in a pandemic, people are spinning in confusion, fear, anxiety, hopelessness, and depression. Pandemic stuff on top of pre-pandemic stuff.
The battle is not only one of physical health, but a greater battle of the mind. 

And if you don't struggle with it, you often miss the ones who do.

So to all the people who struggle ...

I see you.

I hear you.

Your feelings matter.

You are not alone in this. 
You are not forgotten. 

You are loved.

There is hope. 

The desperation that floods your mind, it doesn't have to sink you.

The hopelessness that crowds your thoughts, it doesn't have to push you around.

The breathlessness that catches in your throat, it doesn't have to suffocate you.

The dismal feelings of doom, they don't have to cover you.

Because you don't belong to them. 

I know. 
I got my own stories. I've got my own battle threats. The attacks are real. 

And they are attacks. All-out battles waged to distract, to stir up, to deceive, to hurt, to pull us away from the One we do belong to. 

And I know it's not easy.
No battle is.

More and more I see that we have to counter-attack. 

More and more I see that we have to wield our sword.

Get into God's Word. Dig in deep. Learn it. Know it. Absorb it. Fight with it.

Praise God. Worship Him. With your words. Out loud. With song. Out loud. Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. (Isaiah 61:3)

Be controlled by the Holy Spirit, and think about things that please Him. Because a mind controlled by the Spirit is a mind that has life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)

And breathe. 
Don't forget to breathe.

God did too.
By His breath, the stars were born. (Psalm 33:6)
By His breath, we have life. (Job 33:4)
By His breath, we have understanding. (Job 32:8)
There is life in the breath. Breathe deep. Do it daily. Deep breaths slow your heart rate, allow for proper oxygen exchange and lower cortisol, the stress hormone.

Fight with praise.
Fight with worship.

Fight with the Word of God.

Fight with breath.

I know it's not easy. 
No battle is.

I see you.

I hear you.

Your feelings matter.

You are not alone in this.

You are not forgotten. 

You are loved.

There is hope. 

I leave you with a prayer. Paul wrote it in the book of Ephesians to encourage the church. It's one that I like to pray people into.

So here you go ... consider your name in there ...

"I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources, He will give 

YOU-YOU WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, FEAR, HOPELESSNESS- 
that He will give YOU mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit.

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts

AS YOU TRUST IN HIM.

May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.

May YOU have the power to understand, as all God's people should,

HOW WIDE, HOW LONG, HOW HIGH, AND HOW DEEP HIS LOVE REALLY IS.

May YOU experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. 

Then YOU will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish

INFINITELY MORE - IMMEASUREABLY MORE

than we would ever dare to ask or hope or imagine." (Ephesians 3:16-20, NLT)

My heart stirs for the battleground of the mind. A feeling of justice rises up. The taking back of what belongs to the Sovereign God. To the Creator. To the King. To the Father. You are His. He loves you with an everlasting, beautiful, arrow-destroying love. 

I have my list of people that I know who struggle with depression or anxiety on different levels.

You are on my prayer list. Lifting you up when you feel tired and worn. 

I encourage you to have a list of those people. Because warriors have each other's backs.

And if you need to be on a list, let me know. I will cover you.

You are seen.
You are heard.

Your feelings matter.
You are not alone.
You are not forgotten.

You are loved.

There is hope.