I preached a sermon this past Sunday entitled, “Mental Health and Christianity.” I have taken the sermon and turned it into an article.
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We are living through a moment of deep tension in our culture. More people than ever have access to mental health resources. More therapy. More medications. More professional help. And yet mental suffering keeps rising.
Recent data paints a sobering picture. The CDC reports that rates of depression in America have climbed nearly 60% in the last decade. In 2023, more than 11% of U.S. adults were taking prescription medication for depression. Nearly 40% of people struggling with depression received therapy in the last year. And still, anxiety, despair, and emotional exhaustion are escalating at unprecedented levels.
We are doing more, yet the “more” is not solving the root problem.
Something is deeply off.
Before we rush to solutions, we need to anchor ourselves in a story God gave us long before modern psychology existed: the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah’s experience is not simply ancient history. It is a mirror. It reveals something essential about God’s heart and about the way He meets struggling people today.
God Meets Us in Our Deepest Weakness
The timeless truth of 1 Kings 19 is this:
God meets His people in their deepest weakness with holistic care, tending to body and mind, and He restores them through His Word and ultimately through His Son, Jesus Christ.
When Elijah collapses under fear, exhaustion, and despair, God does not rebuke him. God does not shame him. God does not tell him to “just have more faith.”
God sends an angel.
The angel lets Elijah sleep.
Feeds him.
Gives him water.
Strengthens his body.
Then only after Elijah is rested, God speaks truth to him: “You are not alone. There are still 7,000 who have not bowed to Baal.”
This is the heart of God on full display.
Psalm 34:18 says it beautifully:
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
If you feel anxious, depressed, fearful, exhausted, or numb, God knows.
God cares.
And God is nearer to you than you think.
The Church Must Be a Place of Healing, Not Hiding
In 1 Kings 19, Elijah verbalizes his despair to God twice (vv. 10, 14). He is brutally honest:
“I’ve done everything I know to do, and I’m still alone. And now they want to kill me.”
There is no pretending. No hiding. No spiritual mask.
And that’s exactly what the church must be: a community where honesty is safe and struggles are not hidden.
A place where:
• It’s okay to admit you’re not okay
• People listen more than they fix
• Prayer is offered without judgment
• Meals, presence, and practical help flow naturally
• Gospel hope replaces tired Christian clichés
If God invites honesty, the church must too.
Two Common Dangers: Over Spiritualizing and Over Medicalizing
When it comes to mental and emotional suffering, Christians often fall into one of two ditches.
1. Over Spiritualizing Physical Problems
This happens when we assume every struggle is purely spiritual:
“You’re anxious? Just pray more.”
“You’re depressed? You must not trust God enough.”
“You’re overwhelmed? Your faith must be weak.”
But in 1 Kings 19, God does not say any of those things.
Before speaking a single word, God lets Elijah sleep and feeds him twice. God cares for Elijah as a whole person.
Encouraging someone to rest, see a doctor, or seek medical help is not unbelief, it is wisdom.
2. Over Medicalizing Heart Problems
On the other hand, our culture often treats all suffering as biological and therefore solvable only through medication.
Medication can help, but it cannot:
• Remove guilt
• Heal shame
• Give meaning
• Forgive sin
• Restore hope
• Renew the heart
After Elijah is physically restored, God addresses his beliefs, his fears, his perspective, his despair. Medication might help, but only Scripture and the Spirit renew the mind.
Both errors, reducing everything to spiritual causes or everything to biological causes, miss God’s holistic approach.
The Mind and the Brain Are Not the Same
Understanding this difference helps us respond wisely.
What the Brain Is
The brain is a physical organ. It can be exhausted, imbalanced, or physically weakened. Elijah’s body needed rest and nourishment.
What the Mind Is
The mind is the inner person, your thoughts, desires, beliefs, and spiritual life. This is where fear, hope, faith, guilt, and truth are processed.
God spoke directly to Elijah’s mind with His gentle whisper, correcting his distorted beliefs.
God Cares for Both
In 1 Kings 19, God restores:
• Elijah’s body – rest, food, strength
• Elijah’s mind – truth, perspective, renewed purpose
Biblically, real transformation happens in the mind:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23)
“We have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Medicine might help the brain.
Only Jesus can renew the mind.
Why This Matters
If we only treat spiritual wounds with medicine, we miss healing.
If we only treat physical exhaustion with spirituality, we miss wisdom.
Real change requires attention to both.
How We Renew the Mind
• Meditate on Scripture
• Pray honestly like Elijah did
• Walk closely with Christian community
• Obey what God reveals
These do not compete, they complement one another under the Lordship of Christ.
The Greatest Hope: The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Ultimately, only the gospel can offer the hope that our exhausted world is longing for.
Philippians 4:6–7 promises a peace that surpasses understanding.
Romans 15:13 promises supernatural joy and hope through the Spirit.
Real peace does not come from escaping pain.
Real peace comes from knowing Christ’s presence in the middle of it.
• The cross shows a God who enters suffering.
• The resurrection shows a God who conquers despair.
• The Spirit shows a God who renews us day by day.
Medication may help the symptoms, but only Jesus heals the soul.
The God Who Meets You Where You Are
In the end, Elijah didn’t climb the mountain to find God.
God came down the mountain to find Elijah.
And God still does that today.
He meets us in:
• Fear
• Exhaustion
• Depression
• Loneliness
• Confusion
• Despair
He feeds, restores, corrects, strengthens, sends, and saves.
He is near to the brokenhearted.
He heals the crushed in spirit.
He renews the weary through His grace.
If you are struggling today, know this:
God is not waiting for you to get it together.
He comes to you, just as He came to Elijah, tenderly, patiently, and powerfully.
And He will carry you. Always.
If you ever need to talk, please feel free to call me at 856-903-7092. I would love to meet, listen, and encourage you!
MichaelWallenmeyer.com 