The highs feel like you could conquer the world, like God has given you superhuman energy and insight. Then the lows crash in like a tsunami, leaving you wondering if you’ll ever feel normal again. Bipolar disorder is a rollercoaster of extremes that can make you question everything: your faith, your relationships, your purpose, and even your sanity during the darkest episodes.
Living with bipolar disorder means navigating a brain that experiences emotions, energy, and thoughts in ways that can feel overwhelming and unpredictable. The manic episodes might make you feel invincible or spiritually enlightened, while the depressive episodes can make you feel abandoned by God and everyone else. You might wonder if your condition disqualifies you from being used by God or if the chemical imbalances in your brain somehow make your faith less real.
Here’s what you need to know: your mental health condition doesn’t define your spiritual worth or limit God’s love for you. Scripture is filled with people who experienced dramatic emotional and spiritual highs and lows, and God met them in every season. These verses aren’t substitutes for professional treatment, medication, or therapy, but they are anchors for your soul when the storms of bipolar disorder feel too intense to weather alone.
Bible Verses for Managing Bipolar Disorder
1. Psalm 42:11 – Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul?
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
New International Version (NIV)
2. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – Though Outwardly We Are Wasting Away
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Philippians 4:19 – My God Shall Supply
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Isaiah 26:3 – Perfect Peace
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Psalm 23:4 – Even Though I Walk Through the Valley
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Romans 8:26 – The Spirit Intercedes
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. 1 Kings 19:4 – Elijah’s Depression
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Psalm 139:23-24 – Search Me, God
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – My Grace Is Sufficient
My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.
The Message (MSG)
10. Psalm 34:17-18 – The Lord Is Close to the Brokenhearted
The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Isaiah 41:10 – Do Not Fear
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
New English Translation (NET)
12. Psalm 147:3 – He Heals the Brokenhearted
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Matthew 11:28-30 – Come to Me, All Who Are Weary
Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teaching and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Romans 8:28 – All Things Work Together
We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.
Good News Translation (GNT)
15. Psalm 30:5 – Weeping May Stay for the Night
His anger lasts only a moment, but his kindness lasts for a lifetime. Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
New Century Version (NCV)
16. 1 Peter 5:7 – Cast Your Anxieties
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
International Standard Version (ISV)
17. Nehemiah 8:10 – The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength
Then he said to them, “Go, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of Adonai is your strength.”
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
18. Psalm 55:22 – Cast Your Burden
Throw your burden on Yahweh, and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
19. John 14:27 – My Peace I Give You
Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
World English Bible (WEB)
20. Psalm 103:13-14 – As a Father Has Compassion
Like as a father pitieth his children, So Jehovah pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.
American Standard Version (ASV)
21. Lamentations 3:22-23 – Great Is Thy Faithfulness
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
22. Isaiah 43:2 – When You Pass Through the Waters
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
New American Bible (NAB)
23. Psalm 121:1-2 – I Lift Up My Eyes
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)
24. 2 Timothy 1:7 – God Has Not Given Us a Spirit of Fear
For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.
English Revised Version (ERV)
25. Jeremiah 17:14 – Heal Me, Lord
Heal me, O Jehovah, and I am healed, Save me, and I am saved, for my praise art Thou.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
26. Psalm 73:26 – My Flesh and Heart May Fail
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
27. Isaiah 40:31 – Those Who Hope in the Lord
But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
28. Psalm 31:9 – Be Merciful to Me
Have thou merci on me, Lord, for Y am in tribulacioun; myn iye, my soule, and my wombe ben disturblid of ire.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
29. Job 14:1 – Man Born of Woman
Man that is borne of woman, is of fewe dayes, and full of trouble.
Geneva Bible (GNV)
30. Ecclesiastes 3:4 – A Time to Weep and Laugh
A tyme to wepe, and a tyme to laugh: a tyme to mourne, and a tyme to daunce.
Bishop’s Bible
31. Psalm 6:6 – I Am Weary with My Groaning
I am werye of my gronynge: every nyght wash I my bed, and water my couche with my teares.
Tyndale Bible
32. Romans 8:18 – Present Sufferings Not Worth Comparing
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.
The Living Bible (TLB)
33. Psalm 40:1-2 – He Lifted Me Out
I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
The Passion Translation (TPT)
34. Isaiah 61:3 – Beauty for Ashes
He has sent Me to care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)
35. Philippians 4:13 – I Can Do All This
I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Bipolar Disorder
Scripture doesn’t shy away from depicting the full spectrum of human emotional experience, including the extreme highs and devastating lows that characterize bipolar disorder. Elijah’s story in 1 Kings is particularly striking: after his incredible victory over the prophets of Baal, he crashed into suicidal depression. God didn’t rebuke him for his emotional instability; instead, He provided rest, food, and gentle care. This shows us that even after spiritual highs, emotional lows can follow, and God meets us with compassion in both seasons.
The Psalms are filled with David’s raw expressions of emotional extremes: exuberant praise followed by desperate pleas for help, confidence in God’s goodness mixed with honest complaints about feeling abandoned. These aren’t signs of weak faith but authentic human experiences that God validated by including them in Scripture. The Bible acknowledges that our minds and emotions can be tumultuous, but it consistently points us toward God’s steadfast character as our anchor.
What gives me hope is how Scripture emphasizes God’s understanding of our human frailty. He knows we are dust, He remembers our frame, and His compassions are new every morning. Your bipolar disorder doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love or purpose; it’s simply part of the human condition that requires both spiritual resources and practical care.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, living with bipolar disorder feels like riding an emotional rollercoaster that I can’t control. During the manic episodes, I sometimes feel invincible and wonder if I’m experiencing special spiritual insights, but then the crashes come and leave me questioning everything. The depressive episodes make me feel hopeless and abandoned, even by You.
Help me to remember that my brain chemistry doesn’t determine my spiritual worth or Your love for me. When I’m hypomanic and making impulsive decisions, give me wisdom to pause and seek counsel. When I’m depressed and can’t feel Your presence, remind me that Your love isn’t based on my emotions or circumstances.
Thank You for understanding my human frailty and for meeting me in every season of this condition. Help me to be faithful in taking my medication, attending therapy, and practicing self-care as acts of stewardship over the life You’ve given me. Surround me with people who understand mental illness and can support me through both the highs and lows.
Use my experience with bipolar disorder to develop empathy for others who struggle with mental health challenges. Help me to see that You can use my story, including my mental illness, for Your glory and to help others who feel alone in their struggles. Give me stability in my identity as Your beloved child, regardless of what my brain chemistry tells me on any given day.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.