When Prayer Feels Silent: Faith, Mental Health, and the God Who Stays

Hi everyone. I’m Jeceline, and yes—I’m a pastor. But before that, and even while serving, I’ve wrestled deeply with my mental health. I still do, more often than I’d like to admit. One of the hardest parts in those seasons wasn’t only the depression; it was the anger I felt toward God. I couldn’t reconcile being “loved by a Father” with feeling ignored every time I prayed. He seemed present to judge, to help others, but not to comfort me. I grew up around prayer warriors—fasting, quoting Scripture, blasting in tongues—and there I was, quietly falling apart.

Loving God doesn’t exempt you from struggle. You can love Him and still face depression, anxiety, loneliness, burnout, confusion, and doubt. In fact, sometimes the struggle intensifies because you’re a threat to the enemy. We were told all our lives, “Prayer fixes everything.” But few of us were taught how to pray through pain—how to pray when it’s dry, when it feels like your words evaporate into the air. We were given verses, but not always the space to wrestle with them.