I love God, I go to therapy, and I take my meds: why these things can coexist

Growing up, especially in Black Christian culture, prayer was the answer for everything.

Depressed? Pray.
Anxious? Pray.
That man getting on your nerves? Definitely pray. 😂

And don't get me wrong, I believe in the power of prayer. I believe prayer can move mountains. I believe in signs, miracles, wonders, and complete healing through the power of Jesus Christ.

But I don't believe prayer is the only way God brings healing.

Prayer is my first response to everything. First, I go to God. I pray, I seek Him, and I ask Him for direction. And then I follow where He leads. Sometimes, that looks like continuing to pray and wait. Sometimes, it looks like changing something in my life. And sometimes, it looks like sitting across from a therapist or taking medication.

Somewhere along the way, though, we started acting as if those things couldn't coexist.

As if loving Jesus and going to therapy somehow means you don't trust Him enough.

As if taking medication means you don't believe God can heal you.

As if someone who continues to struggle with depression or anxiety simply hasn't prayed hard enough or doesn't have enough faith.

But why?

We very seldom tell someone with cancer that their cancer hasn't disappeared because they don't believe God enough. We don't usually tell someone with diabetes to throw away their insulin and just have more faith. We can pray fervently for physical healing while still recognizing the value of physicians, treatment, and medicine.

So why do we sometimes treat mental health differently?

Scripture itself reminds us of the value of receiving help and wise counsel:

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

Proverbs 11:14

God never told us that we have to carry everything alone.

God cared for the whole person

One of my favorite examples of this is Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah reached a point where he was exhausted, overwhelmed, and ready to give up. He sat under a tree and asked God to take his life.

And I find God's response so beautiful.

Before God addressed everything Elijah was dealing with, He allowed Elijah to sleep. Then an angel brought him food and water. Elijah rested again. Then he ate again.

God cared for the whole person.

His spiritual condition mattered, but so did his exhausted body and overwhelmed mind.

I think sometimes we are looking for God to do something supernatural while overlooking the resources He has already placed around us.

James 1:17 tells us:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…”

James 1:17

Therapists can be a gift.
Doctors can be a gift.
Medication can be a gift.
Community can be a gift.
Rest can be a gift.

And receiving those things doesn't mean that Jesus is no longer the center.

I believe prayer should come first. I don't believe medication, therapy, or anything else should become our savior or an idol (a story for another day). At the end of the day, Jesus is our sustainer and our hope is ultimately in Him.

But I also believe God has given us resources here on earth.

He has given people the gift of counseling others. He has given scientists and medical professionals the ability to study the brain and develop treatments that can provide relief from symptoms that sometimes feel unbearable.

And sometimes that relief gives someone enough room to breathe.

Enough clarity to get out of bed.

Enough quiet in their mind to open their Bible.

Enough relief from the anxiety to actually sit with God instead of feeling like their entire world is falling apart.

Galatians 6:2 says:

“Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2

Maybe we were never supposed to do all of this alone.

Faith and treatment don't have to compete

So yes, I love God.

I pray.

I believe Jesus still heals.

I believe in miracles.

And I also believe in therapy.

I believe medication can have a place in mental health treatment.

I believe you can sit in a therapist's office on Tuesday and be at Bible study on Wednesday without either one invalidating the other.

Faith and mental health treatment don't have to compete.

Sometimes healing looks miraculous and instantaneous.

And sometimes healing looks like prayer, therapy, medication, community, boundaries, rest, and getting up tomorrow to try again.

Either way, I'm taking it to Jesus first, trusting Him to guide me through every resource, every step, and every part of the healing process.

And then I'm taking my Adderall in the morning because, baby, I still have ADHD. 🤣