Held in Christ: A Three-Day Sanctuary Devotional About Faith Amid DepressionSample

Jesus’ Prayer for You

Depression can rob us of words. It can make prayer feel challenging and sometimes even impossible. We might desire to pray but find ourselves unable to speak. Even if we can get the words out, we might wonder if we’re praying in the “right” way. When this happens, spiritual practices like prayer can feel like a burden. Sometimes we place this burden upon ourselves, and sadly, sometimes it’s placed upon us.

One time, I was speaking with a young woman named Tara, who said, “I was desperate for someone to help me get out of that place of depression. But when I did talk about it, people said to pray more or read the Bible more.” Tara said it was the “daily routines, pressure about quiet times, and trying to hit benchmarks” that drove her into a deeper depression. When she felt like she wasn’t praying enough, or like she wasn’t praying the right way, this just led to more guilt and shame.

In Romans 8, we’re reminded that the Holy Spirit helps us when we don’t know how to pray. When silence is the only thing you can offer God, Jesus is at the right hand of God, interceding for you. He doesn’t wait until you’re able to speak. Even if you cannot utter a single word, God’s Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. As Psalm 139:4 says, “Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.”

As our mediator, Jesus knows what it’s like to feel the weight of despair and the ache of unanswered prayers. He cried out in the garden and felt abandonment on the cross. Jesus entered that silence, and he meets you in yours—not with judgement, but with compassion. You are no less faithful when you can’t find the words to pray. You are being held closer and more deeply than you can even imagine. If all you can do today is breathe, sit still, or cry, you can rest in the fact that Jesus Christ is already interceding for you. In experiences of depression, it may feel like your voice is gone. But Jesus’ voice does not go unheard.

Reflection Questions: What changes for you when you realize that silence in prayer is not a failure, but a space where Jesus is already interceding for you? How might you remind yourself of this today?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for meeting me in the silence.