Verses for Helping your Friend through Depression
When we can’t do it on our own we need to turn to God.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” | Isaiah 40:31
Put your friend in the safety of the Lord’s care. Pray for them and encourage them to turn to God for help. Be there for them, and intercede on their behalf before the Lord, pray for what’s concerning them. Pray with them, and encourage them through God’s word.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” | 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Make sure that you remain in God. Draw his strength into you, be comforted by him so you are full and can comfort your friend. Nurture your relationship with God so that if your friend needs stability, you can be firm ground and can point them back to the God who will always be more stable than you.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” | Psalm 34:18-19
Remind your friend of how close God is to them. He knows what they’re going through, and he will deliver them from their pain and hopelessness. Commit your friend to God’s care. His love will sustain you and your friend. Take joy in the knowledge that God is near.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” | Deuteronomy 31:8
When you go to your friend to try to lighten their load, you don’t go alone. God goes with you, and the situation is in his hands. God is working, success is not dependent on you. Especially if you don’t see immediate effects, don’t be discouraged.
“In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.” | Deuteronomy 32:10
Depression can feel like a desert or a wasteland. As much as you want to care for your friend, God is caring for them ten times over. There is nowhere God can’t reach your friend, even if you can’t reach them. Don’t give up on them.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” | 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Continue to encourage your friend. Build them up. Be joyful, but be real. Your friend doesn’t need fake, happy bubbly. Your friend needs you to bring light and joy, but meet them where they are and take the time to listen and understand what they’re going through.
I hope this is encouraging to you in your walk with the people in your life facing depression. What they’re going through is very real, very hard. Your patience and presence in their life is one of the most helpful things you can give them. So “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
