September 12th, 2023
THE MYTHS OF FAITH & MENTAL HEALTH Myth #3 - Pray more and let it go
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then, you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7…verse of the week)
The most common response I received from people when I was diagnosed was to pray more, sometimes citing the verse above. Along with that advice came, “You have to let go of your worry.” That’s great advice and all, but at the time, and in my state, I had no ability to “let it go.” Often, it was hard to pray; when I did pray, all I could get out was the name of Jesus.
If you’ve never experienced an extreme mental health challenge, it’s hard to imagine what it feels like. In my anxiety, I couldn’t just pray it away. That didn’t mean I lacked faith; that meant I lacked the tools to know how to climb out of the pit of my thoughts. I couldn’t “pray it
away” any more than I could grow a new limb.
That said, when it comes to prayer and mental health, I have something I take great comfort in.
Throughout my life, but even more so during my mental health struggle, the apostle Paul’s thoughts in Romans 8 have inspired me. For years, I held onto this part of the chapter, especially when my heart was too heavy, or broken, to pray…
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words.” Romans 8: 26, NLT
There have been times when my prayers weren’t audible words but just moans and groans. Knowing that the Holy Spirit interprets those things in those times into prayers lifted up to the Father has always been comforting to me.
However, it wasn’t until later on in my life that I realized something in Romans 8 that had never hit me before. According to Paul, the Holy Spirit isn’t the only member of the Trinity who prays for us when we can’t or as we struggle.
Paul writes, “…for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”. Romans 8: 34
What?!? Jesus is also interceding for us? That means every member of the godhead is actively involved in praying for us, two interceding on our behalf even when we can’t pray or don’t know what to say, and the third listening and moving heaven and earth to be near unto us (just read Psalm 18: 6-19, for the imagery of a God who moves creation to be near).
Mental health is not just cured by prayer, though prayer can undoubtedly be a significant part of your self-care. But know this: even when you can’t pray, know that the godhead has you because they care about you more than even fully understand.
JOURNAL:
The most common response I received from people when I was diagnosed was to pray more, sometimes citing the verse above. Along with that advice came, “You have to let go of your worry.” That’s great advice and all, but at the time, and in my state, I had no ability to “let it go.” Often, it was hard to pray; when I did pray, all I could get out was the name of Jesus.
If you’ve never experienced an extreme mental health challenge, it’s hard to imagine what it feels like. In my anxiety, I couldn’t just pray it away. That didn’t mean I lacked faith; that meant I lacked the tools to know how to climb out of the pit of my thoughts. I couldn’t “pray it
away” any more than I could grow a new limb.
That said, when it comes to prayer and mental health, I have something I take great comfort in.
Throughout my life, but even more so during my mental health struggle, the apostle Paul’s thoughts in Romans 8 have inspired me. For years, I held onto this part of the chapter, especially when my heart was too heavy, or broken, to pray…
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words.” Romans 8: 26, NLT
There have been times when my prayers weren’t audible words but just moans and groans. Knowing that the Holy Spirit interprets those things in those times into prayers lifted up to the Father has always been comforting to me.
However, it wasn’t until later on in my life that I realized something in Romans 8 that had never hit me before. According to Paul, the Holy Spirit isn’t the only member of the Trinity who prays for us when we can’t or as we struggle.
Paul writes, “…for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”. Romans 8: 34
What?!? Jesus is also interceding for us? That means every member of the godhead is actively involved in praying for us, two interceding on our behalf even when we can’t pray or don’t know what to say, and the third listening and moving heaven and earth to be near unto us (just read Psalm 18: 6-19, for the imagery of a God who moves creation to be near).
Mental health is not just cured by prayer, though prayer can undoubtedly be a significant part of your self-care. But know this: even when you can’t pray, know that the godhead has you because they care about you more than even fully understand.
JOURNAL:
- Have you ever struggled with something heavy on your heart, only to hear the advice to pray more or give it to God? If so, how did that make you feel?
- Are there specific prayers you pray or verses you quote when your mental health struggles? What works for you?
- How does it make you feel to know that even when you can’t pray, two of the three members of the Godhead are praying over you for you?
By Pastor Paddy McCoy
Introducing the Sacred Echo Podcast
Bringing together the teaching team from Crosswalk Church (Paddy McCoy (PDX), David Ferguson (CHA), and Timothy Gillespie) to talk about the sermons and how the Holy Spirit is working to bring a message of unity between them as they teach and lead within the Crosswalk Global Network of Churches.
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