How to Find Hope In The Chaos Of Mental Illness

KEYPOINTS

• Mental illness can be tough, you need to find ways to make it easier for you to cope with it.
• Always remember God's love for you and that he is always with you.
• Keep God as your everyday focus and have him help you with your healing.

Dealing with a mental illness isn't easy. In fact, it's one of the most difficult things you could ever deal with in your life. With all the emotions you have to go through day in and day out, your mind feels like it's in absolute chaos. It feels like living in complete darkness, unable to see a future or find hope. It is a scary place to be in but it is possible to get out of.

Psalm 46:1 tells us that, "God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble." As Christians, we know that there are no lies in the Bible.  Every single word in it is powerful and true. 

It's true that we can find refuge and strength in God. It's true that He is an ever-present help in our troubled times. It's true that He loves us and that there is hope for our future. We only have to believe in this truth and be obedient to the leading of His Spirit.

So how do you find hope in the chaos of mental illness? Here are 5 ways, directly from the Word of God.

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 1. Remember God's love for you

God loves you more than you could ever imagine. His love is unconditional and there is no power in heaven, earth, or hell that could change that. Nothing can separate you from His love, not even mental illness and hope can be found in His love. 

There is nothing and no one more powerful than God in this entire universe and He truly loves you. Would you leave someone you love alone in their troubled times, especially if you had the power to help them? No, right? Then why do you think God would leave you? He loves you, He is with you and He is for you.  Therefore there's hope.

Related Article: Does Faith Prevent Mental Health Issues?

2. Focus on God

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you - Isaiah 26:3

I know that this is easier said than done when struggling with mental illness.  When your mind is pulled in a thousand different directions it's hard to focus on one thing. However, keeping your focus on God is definitely worth the try.

See, if you can get your mind to focus on God and His Word, you will find hope. Your trust in Him will strengthen, and your peace will be restored. Yes, you might still struggle with mental illness and there are other steps you would have to take to come out of it. But this step alone will give you hope for a better future.

3. Take hold of your healing

"He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds, you have been healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24

God does not see your mental illness as a lack of faith or trust in Him, He sees it for what it is, an illness. His Word contains many promises of healing and every promise in the Bible is yours to claim. Other people may not understand what you're going through, but you do and God does.  This is all that matters. 

Take steps to heal today. Pray, talk to a loved one, visit a therapist, take your meds if need be. This will make all the difference. "By His wounds, you have been healed," there is hope. You will find healing in Jesus.

4. Memorize what God has promised

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. - Romans 15:4

The Bible is full of God's promises. For every season and situation in our lives, we will find a promise or certain scripture that gives us hope. So as you deal with the chaos of mental illness today, find and memorize promises that help you through it. Here are a few that might be helpful.

• Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
• I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33
• Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. - Psalm 55:22
• It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” - Deuteronomy 31:8
• The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23
• The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18
• Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life - Psalm 119:49-50

If you need help remembering and praying God's promises in the midst of mental illness, check out our collection of prayer cards below.  You can download them for a gift of any amount.  

Anxiety Prayer Cards

Depression Prayer Cards

Stress Prayer Cards

5. Remember that God is in control

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

As we try to find hope in the chaos of mental illness it's important to remember that God is in control. Things may not be okay right now, you may not feel okay, but God has the power to change things. The darkness you find yourself in can be overcome with His light. 

The chaos can be calmed by His peace. Your troubled mind can be comforted by His love and promises. He can and will work all things for your good because you love Him, and you are called.

Romans 8:28 doesn’t say God will work some things together for our good, it says He will work ALL things together. So as hard as it is to believe or even imagine right now, He can and will turn this around, you will come out of this stronger, healthier, and full of life!  This chaos you're going through will turn into a testimony that provides hope and healing to others. Things will get better, you just need to believe that that it will.

Remember, there's hope for you because God is with you. He is an ever-present help in times of trouble. Not only does He give refuge and strength to you, but He is that for you. You can cast all your burdens on Him and find rest in His promises for you. 

As a Christian, you have the best resources in the world at your disposal, prayer, and the Bible. Both of these things give you direct access to the only One who can change everything. You will find hope in Him, you only need to begin looking for it.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -  Romans 15:13

If you are looking to understand more about find hope in the chaos of mental illness, we found these book on amazon about Christians who struggle with mental illness.  

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die: Finding Hope in the Darkness of DepressionParalyzed EmotionsHoly Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful LifeBut Deliver Me from Crazy: A Memoir

This post is part of a blog series, Hope In the Chaos, and I’d love to share more encouragement with you from several other sisters in Christ. Check out the other posts in this series below.

A Time to Dwell

Michelle, from With the Huddlestons, uses the passage of Psalm 91 to really put God’s protection into perspective. Her words of encouragement on dwelling in God’s protection are right on time. Not to mention, she also has a free journal waiting for you!

The Future We Hope For

Katie J Trent, from Grow Your Faith, sheds light on the future we hope for by taking a dive into Jeremiah 29:11. She unpacks this Scripture and shares six practical takeaways.

Family Worship & Discipleship Guide

Navigating these times can be difficult. Kimberly from A Family Devoted shares the importance of having family worship and discipleship to help get through anything. And yes, she has a free printable guide for you to use.

About the Author: 

Corine Williams, Ph.D. is Clinical Psychologist that is currently seeing clients in the States of Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. You can find out more about her practice by visiting www.therapyforchristians.com/corinewilliams.  In addition to providing individual therapy, Dr. Williams is also passionate about writing books and designing merchandise that educate, uplift, and normalize mental health subject in the Christian community. You can find out more about her at  www.booksbycorine.com or by visiting her amazon profile here: https://www.amazon.com/Corine-Hyman/e/B00AWZ5FL2

Help us increase mental health awareness in the Christian community by donating through our paypal link here: www.paypal.com/therapyforchristians, joining our mailing list by clicking below, or join our provider list here: Provider listing

Disclaimer: the information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this article are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are looking for a Christian counselor near you, please check out our directory located here:  Christians Therapist Near Me