Can Daily Prayers Help to Lift Depression and Improve Mental Health?

Absolutely! Hi, I'm Jodi! Prayersforjoy.com is a site dedicated to providing free, effective daily prayers in Jesus’ Name that you can pray to help lift depression, increase mental wellness, overcome discouragement, and experience freedom from negative emotional strongholds, such as anger, fear, anxiety, blame, bitterness, and envy.

God sometimes answers these prayers almost instantly!

Whether you have been a Christian for a long time, or you are completely new to prayer and have not yet entered into a personal relationship with Jesus, www.prayersforjoy.com will help you to completely depend on God for the supernatural help to renew you and restore your mental health from the inside out.

We've all been hurt in our lives. We all have scars. But with God's help, we can be healed!


Are depression, mental illness, and strong emotions like anger and envy draining your life? 

Are you struggling with other negative emotions, such as anxiety, impatience, overwhelm, embarrassment, discouragement, fear, or desire for revenge?

When God created man, He did not intend for His creation to worry about problems or to suffer from depression and mental illness. 

He created us for love, meaningful relationships, and a vibrant life. But in our human state, depression, mental illness, unruly emotions, and habitual actions make it impossible to live that life.

Depression and mental illness rob us of vitality and the ability to handle daily tasks.

Toxic emotional strongholds make it impossible for us to experience peace and joy in our relationships.

Furthermore, depression and other forms of mental illness manifest themselves physically as well as emotionally. The body feels heavy and the soul burdened. You may think that nothing can lift you out of the pit that you are in.

I know, because I’ve been there! I struggled for many years under the devastation of depression and bipolar disorder. I was a prisoner of negative emotions. 

I tried many “solutions” to fix my problems. I was a big fan of self-help, and “New Age” ideas and philosophies, but nothing I tried helped in the long term. My depression and emotional distresses were still ruling my life.

What’s worse, the very books I was reading to get help actually caused me many mental breakdowns and stirred up ungodly desires. Every time I thought I finally found a solution, I would get extremely excited thinking I was on top of the world and then I would crash and end up in a psychiatric ward. 

These tumultuous mood swings happened often. I would either be unsustainably, overly excited, or so depressed I longed for my life to end.

My hope is that I can spare you many of the trials, errors, and tremendous sorrows that I encountered on my way to mental health.   

There are countless ways to treat depression and mental illness but nothing created in this world, by itself, can bring you lasting healing, contentment, or joy.

Medication is important and can certainly help you to feel better. Therapy can be very helpful to organize your thoughts and give you insight to your behavior. While God can perfectly and completely heal us, if He so chooses, He also gave us these tools to use. Just like when a person suffers from cancer, or diabetes, medication and doctors are important and necessary for healing and wellness.

But we have a missing piece, a longing that cannot be filled with anything that this world can offer. Our desire for wholeness and restoration is actually a God given longing for a relationship with Someone Whose mercy and love endures forever... 

A saving relationship with Jesus Christ and daily prayers in His name!

It wasn’t until I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior that true healing began in my life! My sanity was restored and my mood swings ceased. I felt gratitude for my life and for Jesus’ love and restoration. 

I started taking much better care of myself and found that God was supporting me as I took care of the things that I could control: taking my medications, working with my doctors, and praying daily prayers to God for the things I had no power to change.

If you have tried to alleviate depression with self-help, years of therapy, or have taken antidepressants all of your life, having a relationship with Jesus and daily prayers in His name will greatly increase your mental health and resiliency.

If you are incessantly riding the emotional rollercoaster of bipolar disorder and have spent time in mental hospitals, a relationship with Jesus and daily prayers in His name can help free you from your constant mood swings and disorganized and dangerous, impulsive behaviors.

If you are suicidal and plagued by thoughts that no one understands you or loves you and that the world is a cruel place, a relationship with Jesus and daily prayers in His name can help you to know how much God loves you and wants you to live! 


If you are feeling suicidal, please seek immediate help by calling the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. They are available 24/7. The help is free and confidential and you will be connected to mental health resources that are available in your area. (Note: they are available to talk to anyone who needs emotional support and help for depression, mental illness, substance abuse, loneliness, and other concerns.) 

For help in English, dial 988

Línea de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis 1-888-628-9454

Lifeline For Deaf & Hard of Hearing TTY: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988 

I know what it feels like to be so depressed and feeling I couldn't bear one more day, thinking that ending my life was the only answer. I experienced such darkness I was afraid to share how I felt. During one of the darkest times in my life I hid in a closet while others were laughing in another room. I felt so alone!

But there is help and people who care. I am so thankful that I sought help! Please know that these feelings, even though they feel so unbearable and oppressive, will pass when you accept Jesus and get the proper help that you need. 

There's no shame in asking for help. We all struggle with suffering in this world and need the support of others! Blessedly, many people are trained to help us when we are unable to stand on our own.

And God greatly desires to help you and show you how much love He has for you! You need only call upon Jesus! He can renew in you the desire to live, and enable you to live courageously and joyously!

Also know that my family, friends, and I are praying for you and sending love your way. God has placed you on our hearts for you are deeply loved and have value in this world!


God will even help you to process grief safely and compassionately!

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 KJV)


You can begin anew, right now, with your unique personality and your flaws. You can begin broken and bruised, for Jesus loves you unconditionally and exactly as you are, flaws and all.

Furthermore, Jesus completely understands everything that you are going through emotionally and physically because He endured the same trials and temptations that you face, yet He was without sin making Him the perfect sacrifice for our complete salvation! 

He understands how you long for relief from pain that seems relentless.

He knows how you are tempted to lean on unhealthy coping mechanisms when stressed out. 

He also knows how you long to be whole, living a life of purpose without the shackles that prevent you from living life to the fullest. 

And, know what? He wants to break those shackles for you and set you free (See John 8:36)!

He wants you to experience His wholeness and seek satisfaction in Him alone.

He longs to give you rest! 

28 Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29 KJV)

If you accept Jesus into your life and daily surrender yourself to God’s plans, praying in all ways, He will bring you joy and comfort in a world that is overwhelmingly bleak and distressing.

He will bless you with a peace "...which passeth all understanding..."! (Philippians 4:7 KJV)

Learning how to pray, as well as knowing what is within your control and what is in God’s hands, will help to make your daily prayers specific and highly effective. (See James 5:16-17)

Furthermore, daily prayer is a discipline that not only reaps tremendous wellbeing and peace in this life, but also rewards in the world to come. (See Matthew 25:21).

Praying daily will help you to experience contentment in your life as you learn to lean into Jesus. It is possible to come to a place where you will no longer fear of missing out and no longer feel compelled to constantly compare yourself to others.

Daily prayer will help you to count your blessings and feel gratitude for your life! It will also pave the way for complete joy in Jesus!

"...The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27 KJV)

As you increase your daily prayer time and step out in faithful obedience, God will supernaturally empower you to live life more fully and meaningfully.

But it is fundamental to know that there are lies that you may believe that get in the way of a relationship with Jesus…

Lie: You may think there are many ways to get to Heaven.

Truth: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6 KJV)

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 KJV)

Lie: Your depression and mental illness tell you that life is just too hard to deal with and that you cannot dare to hope for anything to change.

Truth: When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God begins to restore you and renew you.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV)

Lie: You may also erringly believe that once you become a born again Christian, your problems will cease to exist.

Truth: When you accept Jesus, He does come into your life through the Holy Spirit and begins the process of healing you from the inside out.

That doesn’t mean He takes away all of your problems...(All children of God are to expect trials, tribulations and perils), but He promises to be with you and help you through your sufferings and hardships. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4 KJV)

When a person becomes a born-again Christian, we are told to expect persecution from our enemy, Satan, and other people.

And at other times, God may afflict us so that we understand the suffering and struggles of others. He uses our trials to make us stronger, and more resilient! He uses our afflictions to enable us to help others in need of comfort and healing.

Lie: You may believe that you must do something to earn God’s love, and if you don’t do enough, you worry that God will be angry with you, or worse, abandon you!

Truth: There is nothing that we can do to earn God’s love. God’s love and salvation through Jesus is a free gift of His tremendous GRACE and not dependent on anything that we think, do, or say.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV).

Furthermore, He will fight our battles for us and with us as we learn to seek Him prayerfully and faithfully obey when He says to move.  

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:47 KJV)

Also know that you have many layers of emotions. It will take time to heal them effectively, but daily prayers for joy can help you to systematically rely upon the Holy Spirit to help you process your emotional strongholds until they no longer hold you captive!


This website is meant to help encourage and equip you to be all that God wants for you to be through daily prayers and obedience. Daily prayers are meant for us to connect with Jesus in a very intimate way.

Through prayer, we share our sorrows, our burdens, as well as our successes with God! We Worship and Praise Him!

Know that He longs to spend time with each of us, One to one, every single day!

Prayer is a beautiful gift from God!

Even though we cannot see Him, when we accept Jesus and pray, spending time listening to and talking with Him, we experience true communion with our Heavenly Father...

A relationship with Jesus can be as real as any human relationship that we have! We only need to call upon Jesus, spend time in God's Word, and sincerely pray our daily prayers!

I pray that you will join me in this joyous journey!

If you can say yes to the following questions, you are in a place where God can help you to experience freedom from the depression and emotional prison you have been living in...

  • Are you depressed and living life just going through the motions, do you long to feel invigorated and excited about living?
  • Is your life out of control emotionally? Do you want to be free of toxic thoughts and emotional upheaval?
  • Do you have wounds that you think can never be healed? Or trauma that has left you fearful? God sees your pain and He remembers every tear you have cried! He wants to help you and heal your traumas! (See 2 Kings 20:5)
  • Do you have regrets about past or present choices you have made?
  • Are you plagued by thoughts that you are not enough, that no one loves you, and that you are all alone? Know that there are people who love you and Jesus Who loves you unconditionally!
  • Are you willing to admit that you need help? Often, we are too proud to admit our need for intervention. But when you are at the end of your rope, you are in the best position for God to help you! JESUS SAVES!
  • Are you tired and overwhelmed? Do you desire to conquer your captor (depression, drugs, alcohol, fears of any kind)?
  • Are you willing to let God renew you? He's the Potter, we are the clay. He can transform our brokenness into something beautiful!

Did you know that when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and lean wholeheartedly on Him, He can turn your weaknesses into strengths?

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10 KJV)

Daily prayers for joy will help you to start your day off positively by putting Jesus first and spending time with Him in prayer and Bible study.

All you need is a genuine, born again relationship with Jesus, a good Bible, a Bible teaching church, and a sincere desire to be emotionally free. 

With prayer you can...

  • Develop a proactive, and holistic approach to taking better care of your mental health by putting God and prayer first, working with your doctor, taking medications as prescribed, utilizing therapy, and joining a support group or Bible study…
  • Pray effective daily prayers to Jesus to battle and overcome depression and emotional strongholds. Sometimes God answers these prayers almost instantly!...
  • Rewire your brain with God’s Truth, Bible Scripture, to eliminate negative beliefs and lies you’ve been told and replace them with the positive thoughts of how God sees you when you accept Jesus, a beautiful new creation…
  • Prepare for spiritual warfare. Know what it is and why you need to be ready for it…
  • Develop good self care habits that will promote better physical health and further enhance your mental health…
  • Prayerfully learn what gifts God has blessed you with and how to use them to further His Kingdom…
  • Re-focus on Jesus when stressed out or when anxiety strikes so you can quickly recover and experience joy and peace again…
  • Learn how to create margin in your life and set up safe boundaries so that you don’t become a victim of overwhelm, unhealthy people pleasing, or discouragement…
  • Experience the joy of praying for others and praying without ceasing…
  • Experience contentment in your life as it is now, even if God doesn’t change your circumstances…
  • Learn what matters to God, and no, it’s not a stellar career and all the trappings of the modern world…
  • Live life meaningfully and joyfully everyday seeking to please God instead of tirelessly striving for your “dream” life and trying to impress people…
  • Determine how you may be standing in the way of your prayers getting answered…
  • Pray consistently and specifically so you will know for certain when God has answered your prayers…
  • Develop self-discipline and create good habits to enable you to confidently follow through with God’s will for your life…
  • Learn how to stay motivated when you fall back into depression and all you want to do is quit!

The Bible is God's Inerrant Word that All that He has promised will come to pass.

Trust in God for He is Completely trustworthy! 

Prayer is participatory, it is a daily conversation with God. God wants you to develop a deeply intimate relationship with Him, and prayer asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior is the key that begins that relationship. 

I humbly ask you to do the following:

  1. To experience God’s tremendous love for you by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior…
  2. Show up daily for inspiration and encouragement. Come back and pray the prayers as often as necessary. God will help you when you make the effort to pray! (Note: God is encouraging me to add new prayers more often).
  3. Be willing to pray as a first step to approaching your problems...
  4. Take care of your mental and physical health by working with your doctors and taking medications as prescribed...
  5. Take baby steps of faith when God says move…
  6. Develop skills and good habits that will help you to reach your God given potential and Live fully loving others and sharing God’s love with people.
  7. Know that you "...can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth..." you! (Philippians 4:13 KJV)
  8. Never, never, never give up!! (See Galatians 6:9)

My Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

How I thank You for my dear reader! I pray that You would bless this unique, beloved person with a sense of eagerness to hear the Good News, a deep desire to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and excitement to begin the sacred journey into all wholeness and well being that You so greatly desire to give. 

I pray for a fresh perspective, a sense of love and gratitude for the Holy Spirit and new heart You promise to give (See Ezekiel 36:26) to whomever places their trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of all sins: past, present, and future! 

I pray further that my dear reader shows up daily to be renewed and refreshed with the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit, to learn Your Truth, the Bible, in order to become an effective witness for Christ, and to develop godly traits such as patience, joy, love, and peace, and all the Fruits of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22-23).

This I ask in Jesus’ Name! Amen! 

May God get all the glory!

Scripture and references to Scripture followed by KJV are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. 

Other Biblical Scripture references are noted by Book, Chapter, and Verse. Please look each up for the actual Bible Verse.