God’s Love in Mental Health Challenges, Not Distant
God sees and hears our pain, and expresses His love through Jesus
God is always with us in our pain with grace
Science demonstrates this special connection to God’s love reduces anxiety (symptoms)
We all know there are so many nuances to love, naturally and spiritually. For those experiencing mental health pain, God's love often seems more distant than present.
I can explain this fascinating "distance" feeling through the natural lens of neuroscience and physiology. However, the real question is not about God's distance (which is unimaginable to Him), but ...
... What does God's love look like in distress, suffering, and mental health challenges?
Let's explore through a fresh spiritual lens from our free Thrive workbook, Ch. 11, "God" (Spiritual section).
Thrive workbook, Ch. 11 ... God is your refuge. Mental health challenges are opportunities to learn how caring and close God is.
💡 God sees, hears, and cares about our lives.
When we hurt, He hurts. In the Old Testament, God’s people face devastation and suffering because they refuse to follow Him. Instead of expressing anger, God weeps with deep compassion.
See this unique expression of God in Jeremiah 14:17-18, Lamentations 3:48-50 and Hosea 11:7-9.
💡 Jesus’ tears reveal what God cares about.
Luke 19:41 (Weymouth New Testament)
"When He came into full view of the city (Jerusalem), He wept aloud over it ..."
Matthew 9:36 (Berean Literal Bible)
"And having seen the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were wearied and cast away, as sheep not having a shepherd."
Jesus (God) cares about how the Roman occupation and religious leaders left people mentally, emotionally, and physically helpless and vulnerable, like sheep without a shepherd (He cares about belonging, not being cast away).
+ Rethink mental health difficulties to see grace at work.
Mental health difficulties often make us feel like we’re failing God and suffering because of it. However, these challenges are not a punishment for our sins. They are an opportunity to see God’s compassion and grace, leading us to heal and flourish in our lives – even within the challenge or a diagnosis (John 9:1-3, 2 Cor. 12:9).
+ Security with a good God relieves anxiety.
Research shows that when we regularly pray with a secure connection to a loving and caring God, we feel more safety and comfort in times of stress. When experiencing anxiety-related challenges, this secure connection to God also helps improve our mental health (i.e., decrease anxiety-related symptoms). (1)
. . . .
That's a small sample from our free Thrive workbook (Ch. 11).
Hopefully, you see the theme that God's love is BENEVOLENT and always about BELONGING in any circumstance - that's how His Kingdom works: LOVE.
It's probably why and what brings Him to lamenting tears for us.
Joe Padilla | Grace Alliance
(1) Ellison, et. al, “Prayer, Attachment to God, and Symptoms of Anxiety-Related Disorders among U.S. Adults,” 208-33.
