Private Battles, Public Faith: Overcoming Silent Struggles. Addressing Anxiety, Addiction, Depression, and Spiritual Isolation.

 Have you ever found yourself smiling in public, while privately battling fear, depression, loneliness, or shame? You show up for others, but no one sees the tears you cry in secret. 

You serve, lead, give, and love—but inside, you feel unseen, unheard, and maybe even forgotten. If that’s you, this word is for you.

Silent struggles are real. They don’t always come with visible scars. Sometimes the loudest cries are the ones no one else hears. But God hears them all. He sees you. He sees me. And He is closer than we realize.

Let’s go to the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. She was deeply distressed because she could not have children. Her husband loved her, but it didn’t erase the shame she felt. 

Year after year, she went to the temple and wept. On one occasion, she was so overwhelmed with sorrow that her lips moved, but no sound came out. Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. But God knew better. He knew her heart.

“Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:10 (NLT)

“I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:15 (NLT)

Hannah’s cry wasn’t loud to the people around her, but it was loud in heaven. God heard her. And He answered. Her silent suffering turned into public testimony when she gave birth to Samuel.

Maybe your pain doesn’t make sense to others. Maybe you’ve been misunderstood like Hannah. But God doesn’t need you to shout to hear you. A whisper, a tear, even a silent prayer can reach the throne of grace.

Consider Hagar, the Egyptian servant who was cast out into the wilderness. Pregnant, alone, and abandoned, she sat by a spring of water—likely wondering what would become of her and the child she carried. But God met her there.

“Then the angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness… The angel said, ‘Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.’ Then he added, ‘I will give you more descendants than you can count.’” Genesis 16:7, 9–10 (NLT)

God revealed Himself to her as El Roi—"the God who sees me."

Genesis 16:13 (NLT) “Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’”

Even in exile, even in despair, Hagar was not invisible to God. Neither am I. Neither are you.

And then there’s the unnamed woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5.

For 12 years, she suffered silently. No one could help her. She spent all her money trying to get well, and things only got worse. She wasn’t just physically weak; she was socially isolated and spiritually burdened. In her culture, she would have been considered unclean.

But in the crowd, she reached out—just enough to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. No spotlight. No microphone. No loud prayer. Just a desperate touch.

“She thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.’” Mark 5:28 (NLT)

“And immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.” Mark 5:29 (NLT)

Jesus literally stopped everything to acknowledge her. He said: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Mark 5:34 (NLT)

Family, we might not have the strength to shout. We may not even have the words to pray. But know today that our faith—even in silence—moves heaven.

Finally, think about Elijah. This mighty prophet called down fire from heaven, but in 1 Kings 19, he ran into the wilderness, laid under a tree, and begged God to let him die. The man who once stood boldly on Mount Carmel now felt so low he wanted to give up.

Have you ever been there? I have been there, too many times.

1 Kings 19:4 (NLT) “Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life.’”

This other story is worth repeating. We mentioned it already in this series, but the Holy Spirit brought it back to remind somebody…maybe me…

Elijah was worn out, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. But God didn’t rebuke him. Instead, He ministered to him with rest, food, and a gentle whisper.

1 Kings 19:12 (NLT) “And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.”

God’s presence wasn’t in the earthquake or fire—but in the whisper. That means God is not only in the loud victories, but in your quiet valleys too.

So whatever you’re going through—anxiety that keeps you up at night, depression that won’t lift, addiction that you battle in secret, or a spiritual dryness you can’t even name—know this: God sees you. He hears you. He is with you.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I can’t tell anyone some of the struggles I face. But I am so glad that I can tell it to Jesus. 

And the beautiful thing about it is, we don’t have to shout to be heard in heaven. God understands our tears. Our pain matters to Him. And our silent struggle is not a sign of failure—it’s a place where grace will meet us.

Psalm 56:8 (NLT) “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

Psalm 34:18 (NIV)“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Let this session be a reminder: We are not alone.

Like Hannah, our cry will be answered.
Like Hagar, our wilderness will become a place of encounter.
Like the woman with the issue of blood, our faith will bring healing.
Like Elijah, our lowest point can be the beginning of restoration.

God is with us Family—in the silence, in the struggle, and in the healing to come. 

aub - 21May25 

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