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I can't pray my mental illness away (even though I try)

Orthodox_Christian

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To believe in God is absolutely wonderful. It's a great feeling when you know that you have God on your side. If you have any issues then all you need to do is pray and it will be handled. It's truly a great thought...

But, suppose for a minute that you're too sad to feel anything. Assume that you're so upset that nothing sparks any interest in you and you feel dead inside and nothing you do works. Maybe you've done your favorite things in life and hobbies and you have talked to all of your friends or your family or whatever you do to get happy, but yet you feel nothing... This is me exactly.

I know that I believe in God, but I don't feel God. I've prayed for many years but I haven't felt one sense of anything the whole time I was praying. It makes the Jesus dying for me story feel not so great because I can't feel God living in me when I read it over and over again in the Bible. It's feels very empty. More so, it just feels like I'm reading any old book and not a divine work of God.

When I'm at church, I hear people rejoicing and being happy that God has answered their prayers. All around me they tell me that God has worked in their lives and done all sorts of things for them and they are happy. But there I am, not really feeling anything or having any sort of Godly experience. It feels a bit empty. You're promised that God will help and assist you if you believe in Jesus and what he did (and I have confessed this many times), but yet I see no results.

And to be honest, I've been empty like this for so long that I don't see things changing by the hand of God despite me wanting to believe in it, as desperate as I am. It would be nice if I had belief in immense power like that but depression has hurt me so much that there is no chance.

My conclusion? I can't pray depression away. I can't pray a mental disorder away. I can't ask God to fix it because I don't have enough belief because it's been years and I am still miserable and sad. It's said that you need to be happy to believe in God but I will never have any good luck with that. As far as I am aware, I'm just sad and I have nothing to look forward to. Even now, I pray but it is as quiet as a cemetery. I've cried out to God but there are no results.

In my past, I was baptized, I still go to church every sunday, and yet I've never once felt any God or Jesus or anything - my depression has always consumed me and (perhaps) blocked any type of feeling with God. My conclusion is that I can't pray it away, I never will. Does prayer even work at this point? I don't know. I'm starting to doubt it.

I sound awful for this also but I'm also starting to doubt God too. I'm starting to believe that you need to have a certain mindset or certain personality to believe in God and that is not me. I am living proof of what it means to be Christian in name only but not saved. Do I pray and God answers me and I just don't see it? Does he even bother with what I say? I have no clue. My depression makes my mind foggy and hazy and my memory is not that great it seems and my observation skills are bad because sadness has dulled them down and killed my inspiration. Maybe it's also my upbringing and how I didn't have Christian parents who told me about Christianity and I had to figure it out myself.

Even now, I'm doubting the denomination I chose. I was Southern Baptist going to a Southern Baptist church but now I'm Eastern Orthodox and I don't really know what to think. Is God dead? Has he died? If he's alive then I don't feel him. I think the last time I actually felt God was when I was little in 3rd grade maybe. I'm starting a job now and I am in my teens so that has been many years. I'd love to feel God again but it is a slim chance. I might as well just give my Bibles away and get used to how life is. It's as a friend of mine said "You can't fix life with 3 letters. That is G, O, D. It doesn't work because life is too complicated. There is no simplifying it."

Sadly, I'm starting to believe him... My depression is my evidence and God sure doesn't care.

This might sound funny as a next statement because all hope has been lost on my end, but...

...can anyone give me some advice...?

Maybe there is a slim chance that God or Jesus or one of the saints or Darth Vader or who knows what can reach out and please help me. Maybe he's listening to me type this? Maybe God has read this already and he knows? I'm so desperate it's not even funny. I'm almost to the point of a mental breakdown to be honest. It's not fun being me. Depression sucks... Like really, it does...

Thanks.
 
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God is good

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To believe in God is absolutely wonderful. It's a great feeling when you know that you have God on your side. If you have any issues then all you need to do is pray and it will be handled. It's truly a great thought...

But, suppose for a minute that you're too sad to feel anything. Assume that you're so upset that nothing sparks any interest in you and you feel dead inside and nothing you do works. Maybe you've done your favorite things in life and hobbies and you have talked to all of your friends or your family or whatever you do to get happy, but yet you feel nothing... This is me exactly.

I know that I believe in God, but I don't feel God. I've prayed for many years but I haven't felt one sense of anything the whole time I was praying. It makes the Jesus dying for me story feel not so great because I can't feel God living in me when I read it over and over again in the Bible. It's feels very empty. More so, it just feels like I'm reading any old book and not a divine work of God.

When I'm at church, I hear people rejoicing and being happy that God has answered their prayers. All around me they tell me that God has worked in their lives and done all sorts of things for them and they are happy. But there I am, not really feeling anything or having any sort of Godly experience. It feels a bit empty. You're promised that God will help and assist you if you believe in Jesus and what he did (and I have confessed this many times), but yet I see no results.

And to be honest, I've been empty like this for so long that I don't see things changing by the hand of God despite me wanting to believe in it, as desperate as I am. It would be nice if I had belief in immense power like that but depression has hurt me so much that there is no chance.

My conclusion? I can't pray depression away. I can't pray a mental disorder away. I can't ask God to fix it because I don't have enough belief because it's been years and I am still miserable and sad. It's said that you need to be happy to believe in God but I will never have any good luck with that. As far as I am aware, I'm just sad and I have nothing to look forward to. Even now, I pray but it is as quiet as a cemetery. I've cried out to God but there are no results.

In my past, I was baptized, I still go to church every sunday, and yet I've never once felt any God or Jesus or anything - my depression has always consumed me and (perhaps) blocked any type of feeling with God. My conclusion is that I can't pray it away, I never will. Does prayer even work at this point? I don't know. I'm starting to doubt it.

I sound awful for this also but I'm also starting to doubt God too. I'm starting to believe that you need to have a certain mindset or certain personality to believe in God and that is not me. I am living proof of what it means to be Christian in name only but not saved. Do I pray and God answers me and I just don't see it? Does he even bother with what I say? I have no clue. My depression makes my mind foggy and hazy and my memory is not that great it seems and my observation skills are bad because sadness has dulled them down and killed my inspiration. Maybe it's also my upbringing and how I didn't have Christian parents who told me about Christianity and I had to figure it out myself.

Even now, I'm doubting the denomination I chose. I was Southern Baptist going to a Southern Baptist church but now I'm Eastern Orthodox and I don't really know what to think. Is God dead? Has he died? If he's alive then I don't feel him. I think the last time I actually felt God was when I was little in 3rd grade maybe. I'm starting a job now and I am in my teens so that has been many years. I'd love to feel God again but it is a slim chance. I might as well just give my Bibles away and get used to how life is. It's as a friend of mine said "You can't fix life with 3 letters. That is G, O, D. It doesn't work because life is too complicated. There is no simplifying it."

Sadly, I'm starting to believe him... My depression is my evidence and God sure doesn't care.

This might sound funny as a next statement because all hope has been lost on my end, but...

...can anyone give me some advice...?

Maybe there is a slim chance that God or Jesus or one of the saints or Darth Vader or who knows what can reach out and please help me. Maybe he's listening to me type this? Maybe God has read this already and he knows? I'm so desperate it's not even funny. I'm almost to the point of a mental breakdown to be honest. It's not fun being me. Depression sucks... Like really, it does...

Thanks.
God really loves you and we can't rely on feelings. Jesus is Lord and Saviour and He really loves you
 
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Orthodox_Christian

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God really loves you and we can't rely on feelings. Jesus is Lord and Saviour and He really loves you
What about the feeling of emptiness? I'm sure a good feeling would help.
 
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God is good

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What about the feeling of emptiness? I'm sure a good feeling would help.
A good feeling would help yes but feelings change so much but God never changes and He will always love you.
 
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Orthodox_Christian

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A good feeling would help yes but feelings change so much but God never changes and He will always love you.
It would be nice if I could feel God.
 
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Lost4words

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Going through high anxiety and some depression at the moment. Not nice at all.

Offer up your sufferings to Jesus. Lay them at His feet. Give Him your life. Your undying love.

I know what you are going through.

Hang in there. Be strong. Let God work in you and through you.

God bless you
 
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Basil the Great

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Sadly, there are many trials and tribulations that we experience in life and for whatever reason or reasons, we cannot always pray them away. I know that Catholicism is big on us carrying our crosses. How much of this theology is true, I do not know. Let me just say this, depression is a pretty common disorder, so you are not alone by any means. There are also many treatments available today and what works for some, does not work for everyone. There are medications and counseling that might assist. As one who fought situational depression 5 or 6 times in my life, the best thing that helped me was to make a concerted effort to concentrate on the positives in my life and to stay busy. Many recommend exercise as a way to help one get good sleep, which might help fight depression. Another thing that helped me was to do some volunteer work. I befriended an elderly man that I met a church for 10 years, by taking him out to lunch almost every Sunday. One can volunteer at a homeless shelter or food pantry or assist an elderly or disabled person in need. When we help others, we often forget about out own troubles.

God bless you and remember that half the battle in fighting depression is to dig down deep into your mind and soul and have the will to fight every day to make your life and the lives of others around you better.
 
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returntosender

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I spent most of my life in depression and agree with another poster that it is very common. All of the suggestions do work for some. For me I took meds and got counseling but I guess
I grew out of it as I haven't had either for years.
The meds helped then but the counseling didn't... I can say that the closer you get to God the easier it is to handle. I have empathy where a friend has never had depression cannot relate. Maybe that is Gods reason for you to have it so that you can help others with an empathetic word.
I can say that my thoughts were selfishly inward, wrapped up in myself instead outward for others then. Get your hormones checked out as this is a big reason to have depression if they are unbalanced.
As all others have said here, God loves you! We don't always know his reasoning but we know his plan for us is out of love.
 
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com7fy8

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Maybe you've done your favorite things in life and hobbies and you have talked to all of your friends or your family or whatever you do to get happy, but yet you feel nothing... This is me exactly.
Doing things to feel happy can be our own selves trying. We need to depend on God. But yes God "gives us richly all things to enjoy." (in 1 Timothy 6:17)
 
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com7fy8

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the closer you get to God the easier it is to handle.
In my case, I can wake up in a mess. And it can be scary, since I know God takes care of us and personally guides us in His own peace. So, if I am elsewhere, I understand I am in trouble. What seems to work is I stay still and trust God to do whatever He really wants with me.
 
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com7fy8

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carrying our crosses.
There are people who have some one big problem, and they think this is their cross which Jesus wants us to carry.

But Jesus carrying His cross was not only dealing with His trouble and pain; but He was busy with loving people . . . being pleasing to our Father.
 
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Jeshu

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What about the feeling of emptiness? I'm sure a good feeling would help.


i think with depression more than any other illness, it shows us that God is not a feeling but to know Him gets us into contact with Him.

i have suffered from depression most of my life and for seven long years i was rock bottom thinking God didn't love me for i couldn't feel Him any more. Just an huge empty spot in my heart. However i had to learn to have faith in God even though i couldn't feel, even though i was miserable, for it is written in the bible that nothing can separate us from the love of God through Christ.

Please understand that you have to build a place for God in your heart. A place of truth, unlike your depression brings you, a place that cannot be touched by anything, not depression either.

So i build on the truths of Scripture, for years carefully place His truth into my heart and letting it grow there. For the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed Scripture teaches, it starts small but grows big.

Do know that you can find God in your godforsaken reality, as a matter of fact, now when my deepest depression rages and i am to sick to lift a finger Jesus stands by me and keeps me in His love. It is amazing how that goes. Where once i was at my most godforsaken now i am God filled.

It was the truth of Scripture that did that. For i build my inner reality with the truth of God, up against my godless depressed reality.

Faith in God's love is what you need. The more you place your faith in His love, even if you don't see it or feel it, but because you believe Scripture above your depressed feelings.

Scripture is more true than depressive feelings will ever be. Depression lies to us about God, ourselves and our neighbour 24/7, that is why faith in God's love as demonstrated in Scripture is so important.

So please go in your godforsaken self to Jesus and confess you have lost sight of Him because of your depression and ask Him to make His home in your heart. Grow love for God and love for neighbour for that is how God makes His dwelling place in us, through our loving actions.

i pray for people hurting when i'm hurting for it produces the best prayers, where the pain i find myself in stimulates me to pray for those hurting brothers and sisters all around me.

Honest you can find God in your depression when you begin to understand that Jesus is also Lord of your depression.

He can make something beautiful out of you, no matter how much you must struggle with depression.


Peace.


To God's Depressed Child,

To think less of yourself then God's own
Brings you much pain and suffering.
Your worth is an incredible high price
For you as well did Jesus die on the cross.

Depression is also what devil's lies brings inside
letting a low-self-esteem your good life rob
Untruths roaming freely through heart and mind
Evil lies extinguishing all happiness and fun.

His loving truth brings you His good life
While to believe lies brings pain and grief
So hold onto the promises Jesus made to you
and don't let Satan your good life squander.

Take hold of God's precious loving truth.
A life in Him stays safe from lies that hurt.
Jesus' truth will comfort your bleeding heart
Lovingly remaking your fallen life anew.
 
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Yeshua HaDerekh

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To believe in God is absolutely wonderful. It's a great feeling when you know that you have God on your side. If you have any issues then all you need to do is pray and it will be handled. It's truly a great thought...

But, suppose for a minute that you're too sad to feel anything. Assume that you're so upset that nothing sparks any interest in you and you feel dead inside and nothing you do works. Maybe you've done your favorite things in life and hobbies and you have talked to all of your friends or your family or whatever you do to get happy, but yet you feel nothing... This is me exactly.

I know that I believe in God, but I don't feel God. I've prayed for many years but I haven't felt one sense of anything the whole time I was praying. It makes the Jesus dying for me story feel not so great because I can't feel God living in me when I read it over and over again in the Bible. It's feels very empty. More so, it just feels like I'm reading any old book and not a divine work of God.

When I'm at church, I hear people rejoicing and being happy that God has answered their prayers. All around me they tell me that God has worked in their lives and done all sorts of things for them and they are happy. But there I am, not really feeling anything or having any sort of Godly experience. It feels a bit empty. You're promised that God will help and assist you if you believe in Jesus and what he did (and I have confessed this many times), but yet I see no results.

And to be honest, I've been empty like this for so long that I don't see things changing by the hand of God despite me wanting to believe in it, as desperate as I am. It would be nice if I had belief in immense power like that but depression has hurt me so much that there is no chance.

My conclusion? I can't pray depression away. I can't pray a mental disorder away. I can't ask God to fix it because I don't have enough belief because it's been years and I am still miserable and sad. It's said that you need to be happy to believe in God but I will never have any good luck with that. As far as I am aware, I'm just sad and I have nothing to look forward to. Even now, I pray but it is as quiet as a cemetery. I've cried out to God but there are no results.

In my past, I was baptized, I still go to church every sunday, and yet I've never once felt any God or Jesus or anything - my depression has always consumed me and (perhaps) blocked any type of feeling with God. My conclusion is that I can't pray it away, I never will. Does prayer even work at this point? I don't know. I'm starting to doubt it.

I sound awful for this also but I'm also starting to doubt God too. I'm starting to believe that you need to have a certain mindset or certain personality to believe in God and that is not me. I am living proof of what it means to be Christian in name only but not saved. Do I pray and God answers me and I just don't see it? Does he even bother with what I say? I have no clue. My depression makes my mind foggy and hazy and my memory is not that great it seems and my observation skills are bad because sadness has dulled them down and killed my inspiration. Maybe it's also my upbringing and how I didn't have Christian parents who told me about Christianity and I had to figure it out myself.

Even now, I'm doubting the denomination I chose. I was Southern Baptist going to a Southern Baptist church but now I'm Eastern Orthodox and I don't really know what to think. Is God dead? Has he died? If he's alive then I don't feel him. I think the last time I actually felt God was when I was little in 3rd grade maybe. I'm starting a job now and I am in my teens so that has been many years. I'd love to feel God again but it is a slim chance. I might as well just give my Bibles away and get used to how life is. It's as a friend of mine said "You can't fix life with 3 letters. That is G, O, D. It doesn't work because life is too complicated. There is no simplifying it."

Sadly, I'm starting to believe him... My depression is my evidence and God sure doesn't care.

This might sound funny as a next statement because all hope has been lost on my end, but...

...can anyone give me some advice...?

Maybe there is a slim chance that God or Jesus or one of the saints or Darth Vader or who knows what can reach out and please help me. Maybe he's listening to me type this? Maybe God has read this already and he knows? I'm so desperate it's not even funny. I'm almost to the point of a mental breakdown to be honest. It's not fun being me. Depression sucks... Like really, it does...

Thanks.

With depression it seems you either turn it inward, on to yourself, or outward onto others. You can blame and take it out on yourself or take it out on others and blame them. However, I do agree with Basil the Great that you should go out and help others. Instead of fixation on your own suffering, help others with theirs and yours will diminish. Philippians 2:4

John 13:34
Matthew 24:40
James 1:27
 
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Macchiato

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I spent most of my life in depression and agree with another poster that it is very common. All of the suggestions do work for some. For me I took meds and got counseling but I guess
I grew out of it as I haven't had either for years.
The meds helped then but the counseling didn't... I can say that the closer you get to God the easier it is to handle. I have empathy where a friend has never had depression cannot relate. Maybe that is Gods reason for you to have it so that you can help others with an empathetic word.
I can say that my thoughts were selfishly inward, wrapped up in myself instead outward for others then. Get your hormones checked out as this is a big reason to have depression if they are unbalanced.
As all others have said here, God loves you! We don't always know his reasoning but we know his plan for us is out of love.

Why didnt the counseling help? Was it the counselor?
 
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It's said that you need to be happy to believe in God but I will never have any good luck with that.

I don't believe in this "one must be happy to believe" sentiment at all. It takes away God's comfort for despairing and weak, and puts our feelings on a pedestal. Christianity deals with suffering, not forced joy. There was no joy when Christ was on the cross, and the Bible is full of people who go through a lot of suffering, doubt and despair. Do not, for a second, believe that God has forsaken you if you can't pray away your depression. Most of us can't. And if some of us get better, it's not because that particular individual prayed "well enough" (Paul states that we really don't even know how to pray, so the Spirit prays with and for us). God looks at our hearts in His great compassion, He doesn't expect us to put on a show. He already knows everything you're going through better than you do. You might feel like you're somehow stumbling to get yourself heard, but God already knows.

People like us will learn soon, that no matter how hard we try, we can't conjure up a genuine emotion. We can't control our feelings. Then we will learn that we can't rely on feelings. When we're depressed, those feelings are always against us.

Remember that God is the author and finisher of our faith. It's not really us. We will and must face doubts. Sometimes it may feel like everything is being swept from under us, including our faith, but it is merely being molded. Sometimes it's painful, and sometimes it's good for us to question some things about religion. As we get older we learn to rely on God, instead of just our understanding on God, or how strong our faith feels like to us. Like a child, in a simple way.

I got better to the point where I can manage. It was horrifying for 15 years but now there is some peace. It's not because I'm holier than you are, and it's not because I prayed better. It's not because of my denomination either. I will thank God, and I believe He has been my helper, but that assurance only came later on. I had a long road, and there are still some inward battles. In the end, I surrender everything to God, and I have hope in Him like a child, because I'm exactly the type of person who doesn't cling on to that unless I have no other options. And He knows that.

It will get better, and these times will make you stronger. Perhaps you will see it soon, or 20 years from now. Right now you probably won't believe it and it sounds like an empty platitude, but for many of us it's the truth.

Try not to worry too much, and take one day at a time. Christ was given to you, and you are safe in Him, no matter how much you now doubt. He knows what's happening to you, and He knows what He will do with you. God bless you brother (or sister, can't tell).

Oh, and I like to link this often: The Spurgeon Library | Consolation for the Despairing (just in case it helps you or someone else in here)
 
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Annner

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To believe in God is absolutely wonderful. It's a great feeling when you know that you have God on your side. If you have any issues then all you need to do is pray and it will be handled. It's truly a great thought...

But, suppose for a minute that you're too sad to feel anything. Assume that you're so upset that nothing sparks any interest in you and you feel dead inside and nothing you do works. Maybe you've done your favorite things in life and hobbies and you have talked to all of your friends or your family or whatever you do to get happy, but yet you feel nothing... This is me exactly.

I know that I believe in God, but I don't feel God. I've prayed for many years but I haven't felt one sense of anything the whole time I was praying. It makes the Jesus dying for me story feel not so great because I can't feel God living in me when I read it over and over again in the Bible. It's feels very empty. More so, it just feels like I'm reading any old book and not a divine work of God.

When I'm at church, I hear people rejoicing and being happy that God has answered their prayers. All around me they tell me that God has worked in their lives and done all sorts of things for them and they are happy. But there I am, not really feeling anything or having any sort of Godly experience. It feels a bit empty. You're promised that God will help and assist you if you believe in Jesus and what he did (and I have confessed this many times), but yet I see no results.

And to be honest, I've been empty like this for so long that I don't see things changing by the hand of God despite me wanting to believe in it, as desperate as I am. It would be nice if I had belief in immense power like that but depression has hurt me so much that there is no chance.

My conclusion? I can't pray depression away. I can't pray a mental disorder away. I can't ask God to fix it because I don't have enough belief because it's been years and I am still miserable and sad. It's said that you need to be happy to believe in God but I will never have any good luck with that. As far as I am aware, I'm just sad and I have nothing to look forward to. Even now, I pray but it is as quiet as a cemetery. I've cried out to God but there are no results.

In my past, I was baptized, I still go to church every sunday, and yet I've never once felt any God or Jesus or anything - my depression has always consumed me and (perhaps) blocked any type of feeling with God. My conclusion is that I can't pray it away, I never will. Does prayer even work at this point? I don't know. I'm starting to doubt it.

I sound awful for this also but I'm also starting to doubt God too. I'm starting to believe that you need to have a certain mindset or certain personality to believe in God and that is not me. I am living proof of what it means to be Christian in name only but not saved. Do I pray and God answers me and I just don't see it? Does he even bother with what I say? I have no clue. My depression makes my mind foggy and hazy and my memory is not that great it seems and my observation skills are bad because sadness has dulled them down and killed my inspiration. Maybe it's also my upbringing and how I didn't have Christian parents who told me about Christianity and I had to figure it out myself.

Even now, I'm doubting the denomination I chose. I was Southern Baptist going to a Southern Baptist church but now I'm Eastern Orthodox and I don't really know what to think. Is God dead? Has he died? If he's alive then I don't feel him. I think the last time I actually felt God was when I was little in 3rd grade maybe. I'm starting a job now and I am in my teens so that has been many years. I'd love to feel God again but it is a slim chance. I might as well just give my Bibles away and get used to how life is. It's as a friend of mine said "You can't fix life with 3 letters. That is G, O, D. It doesn't work because life is too complicated. There is no simplifying it."

Sadly, I'm starting to believe him... My depression is my evidence and God sure doesn't care.

This might sound funny as a next statement because all hope has been lost on my end, but...

...can anyone give me some advice...?

Maybe there is a slim chance that God or Jesus or one of the saints or Darth Vader or who knows what can reach out and please help me. Maybe he's listening to me type this? Maybe God has read this already and he knows? I'm so desperate it's not even funny. I'm almost to the point of a mental breakdown to be honest. It's not fun being me. Depression sucks... Like really, it does...

Thanks.

Orthodox,
You said.........I can't pray depression away. I can't pray a mental disorder away. I can't ask God to fix it because I don't have enough belief because it's been years and I am still miserable and sad. It's said that you need to be happy to believe in God but I will never have any good luck with that. As far as I am aware, I'm just sad and I have nothing to look forward to. Even now, I pray but it is as quiet as a cemetery. I've cried out to God but there are no results.

You sound like me and what i went thru for over 30 years. Praying, pleading, and trying to convince God to help and give u power to deliver you didnt get me anywhere either. I was trying to get him to move on my behalf,,,,like it was something he was GOING to do for me (in the future).
And i felt like he was turning a deaf ear. I couldnt figure it out because i knew he was a Savior who answered and healed all who came to him.

The problem was,,,,its not something more he is going to give you, BECAUSE HE HAS ALREADY given you deliverance, salvation and His Holy Spirit. He showed me he isnt going to do another new work outside of Christ and what he accomplished on our behalf. I didnt get set free until i understood what he has given me.

He is soooooooo big and so abundant. His work is finished in Christ and he has given us a Spirit of Power. You just dont realize what you HAVE in Him and u r searching for more.

Please, contact me on my profile. I would like to talk with so u understand he has ALREADY given you all u need in His Son. When i understood, i was instantly set free from oppression/depression.
 
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