Depression is tough. It isn’t just sadness. It’s a desperately empty, dark, hopeless state. It is an imbalance of Gods design. Psalm 88 gives us a tough picture into the heart cry of a person who was really struggling with the darkness. This is the “saddest” Psalm. But in the sadness there is help and hope. If you are struggling with depression please know your feelings aren’t permanent. They change. There is always hope with God.

Life will throw unrelenting waves at you. Challenges that will mess with your balance. Some of them are big and some are small. When you are worn down, even the littlest wave can knock you off balance and send you crashing down. Anxiety works like that. Our brains get overloaded and our fight or flight response gets triggered. The unrelenting waves become harder and harder to deal with. We need a hand—some need help. You can see the anxiety output for David in Psalm 139, especially verses 17-24. Fortunately, David pauses enough to invite God in. This message has some real tools to help you walk through your anxiety.

Grief is something we will all experience at some point in our lives. It might be the loss of someone or a relationship or dream. Regardless of what you are grieving, it is so important to mourn. Don’t run. Don’t hide from it. Grieve. In this message, we look at the story of Naomi found in the book of Ruth. She had so much. She lost so much. It was bitter. But God worked in her circumstances to bring life to what she thought was over. God brought joy out of the bitterness. It felt over. But it wasn’t. This is such an important topic. Jesus tells us that those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted. Romans teaches us that a practical way we show love is by grieving with those who grieve.

Fear is often running under the surface. Fuel for the struggles we have with our mental health. As tough as we want to act everyone has a weak spot. Elijah was a warrior prophet. He had lived so courageously. He had done some incredibly bold and brave things. Yet in a moment of weakness, he gets hit with an empty threat and it blows up his world. Fear untethered will drive your life diminishing the voice of God and your faith. Fortunately, he met him in the middle of his fears and he'll meet you in the middle of yours. We need to tether our fears to know His presence, to see His provision, and to hear His voice. God is bigger than what scares you. He is gentle and good. He wants to speak peace to your troubled soul.

If you had asked me how I was doing in the middle of my own mental health crisis, I would have told you “I’m fine.” I was far from fine. Maybe you are too. You aren’t fine, you’re lonely, depressed, anxious, grieving. You might even feel like there is something wrong with you. After all, everyone else seems to be smiling. The reality is their smiles are often hiding deeper fears and concerns. You aren’t alone. You aren’t broken beyond repair. There is hope. Jesus made this two-sided promise in John 16:33. In this world you will have trouble. The language of the verse gives us the idea of being squeezed by pressure. Physical and emotional pressure. It is reality. But it is a reality with hope. He ends that verse by saying take heart because he has overcome. God cares about you and your mental health. He invites you to something better. You don’t have to walk through this alone. He is the God of peace who can give you perfect peace as you learn to lay the whole weight of your troubles on