A More Abundant Life

Perhaps one of the most profound passages in Scripture is in found in John 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (verses 1-4).

There is power in that Word! It creates life, and it is in Him that we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

This Word “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), and He did not stop speaking once He ascended on high. This Word has been speaking to us since the beginning. From His first recorded words in Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light,” to His benediction in Revelation 22:20, “Surely I am coming quickly,” the Word has not left us without His voice. 

God’s Word speaks to all aspects of life, and it is there we read: “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 2, ESV).¹ Our Creator wants us to experience good health—physically, mentally, spiritually.

“The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimate,” wrote Ellen White. “When one is affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize. Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death.”²

As we consider the important aspects of mental health, I would like to suggest three ways the Word of God can contribute in a powerful way in promoting good mental health.

Certainty

The Bible provides a reliable, unchanging guide in an uncertain world.

The world around us is literally falling apart. We see this in health pandemics, social unrest, weather-related disasters, unbridled violence, and many other daily challenges making people afraid about security and personal safety. Life has become uncertain for everyone now caught in cataclysmic destruction. They need to hear the message of hope and healing that God’s Word, the Bible, provides. What is needed is not a political, military, or social solution, but a passionate return to the biblical foundation—God’s sure Word.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:8).

 We have all experienced storms in life, and will, no doubt, experience more . But God’s Word provides the solid foundation upon which we can build our faith. Jesus tells us: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:24, 25).

Peace

The Bible provides peace in the present.

According to the World Health Organization, “anxiety disorders are the world’s most common mental disorders, affecting 301 million people in 2019.”³ People are worried as they anxiously watch the world crumbling around them.

Inspiration tells us, “Abiding peace, true rest of spirit, has but one Source. It was of this that Christ spoke when He said, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.’ John 14:27. This peace is not something that He gives apart from Himself. It is in Christ, and we can receive it only by receiving Him.”⁴  

Christ speaks to us through His written Word today. It is by spending time in His Word, listening to His voice, and following Him that we can find His peace.

We read in The Ministry of Healing: “We are not to let the future, with its hard problems, its unsatisfying prospects, make our hearts faint, our knees tremble, our hands hang down. ‘Let him take hold of my strength,’ says the Mighty One, ‘that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.’ Isaiah 27:5. Those who surrender their lives to His guidance and to His service will never be placed in a position for which He has not made provision. Whatever our situation, if we are doers of His word, we have a Guide to direct our way; whatever our perplexity, we have a sure Counselor; whatever our sorrow, bereavement, or loneliness, we have a sympathizing Friend.⁵ 

Hope

The Bible provides hope we can claim now and into the future.

Major depressive episodes and feelings of hopelessness are on the rise. While it is difficult to obtain worldwide statistics, the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States reports that in 2021 an estimated 23 million adults (aged 18 or older) in the United States “had at least one major depressive episode.” Further, it reports, “The prevalence of adults with a major depressive episode was highest among individuals aged 18-25 (18.6%).”⁶

People, especially young people, are looking for meaning, for purpose in their lives, and hope for the future. They are asking, “Why am I here?” “What is my purpose?” “Is this all there is to life?”

God’s Word points to hope we can claim now and into the future. Jesus tells us, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11).

And in addition to knowing God wants us to have an abundant life here and now, we can look forward to the ultimate hope of His soon second coming and to the magnificent place He has prepared for us.

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. . . . And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’ ” (Rev. 21:1-4).

Friends, the Word of God provides us with the hope and assurance we need. I encourage you to spend time with it daily, listening to what God has to say to you today for your spiritual, physical, social, and mental health.

¹ Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

² Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 241.

³ “Anxiety Disorders,” World Health Organization, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders, accessed Oct. 5, 2023.

⁴ E. G. White, p. 247.

⁵ Ibid., p. 248.

⁶ “Major Depression,” National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression, accessed Oct. 5, 2023.