Midnight Mercies: Walking with God through Depression in Motherhood (Chappell)

Are you a mother who feels stuck in depression? You’re not the only Christian woman who knows what this darkness is like. When feelings of hopelessness, weariness, sadness, anger, anxiety, shame, and loneliness feel impossible to bear, it can seem like God is nowhere to be found. But there’s more to the story than you can presently perceive.

Biblical counselor Christine Chappell has walked these dark paths herself—and she wants to help you to see God’s heart for you more clearly as you endure sorrow and pain. As Christine recounts her own midnight journey through depression and explores stories of desperate sufferers who experienced God’s mercy in the Scriptures, she shows how God meets us in our despair and helps us toward his light—one step at a time.

Each chapter concludes with immediate help in the form of simple next steps, a Scripture verse for contemplation and comfort, and questions for journaling.

Author

Christine Chappell is an author, certified biblical counselor, and host of the Hope + Help Podcast for the Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship (IBCD). Her books include Help! I've Been Diagnosed with a Mental Disorder and Help! My Teen is Depressed, and her writing has been featured on platforms such as Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, and the Biblical Counseling Coalition. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and three children.

Endorsements

If you feel weighed down by the sorrows of motherhood, you’re not alone. Humbly sharing her own story and honestly confronting the questions we all face, Christine Chappell is both a sympathetic friend and wise counselor. In her thoughtfully written book, Chappell reminds us that while our pain is real, so is our hope, and we can trust the God who walks with us. I highly recommend Midnight Mercies! –Katie Faris, Author, God Is Still Good

Midnight Mercies invites you to a rare pairing: an author who is willing to bring you into her darkest hours but who expresses her pain in the language of healing theology. Chappell doesn't shy away from the hardest problems or the hardest Scriptures, yet manages to find insightful encouragement in Christ again and again. I commend this honest, uplifting work to anyone, especially struggling mothers.  –J. Alasdair Groves, Executive Director, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF); Coauthor, Untangling Emotions

Midnight Mercies is a compassionate and valuable resource for those who are navigating the depths of depression, darkness, and related shadowy struggles. Christine Chappell's personal understanding and compassion shine through as she offers meaningful guidance for how to respond to these struggles in ways that magnify God’s grace. Through heartfelt stories and biblical insights, this book reminds readers that even in the darkest moments, God's mercy is ever-present, gently leading us toward his light. Midnight Mercies is a beacon of hope and help for anyone who longs for solace amid the shadows of depression. –Rush Witt, Lead Pastor, Paramount Church, Bexley, Ohio; Author, I Want to Escape

As a follower of Christ who’s struggled with depression, I’m grateful for Christine Chappell’s servant’s heart and for her willingness to share her journey and insights. In Midnight Mercies, Chappell combines the empathy and sensitivity of one who’s walked the dark road with biblical wisdom and practical guidance to lead sufferers back toward the light. Vulnerable, honest, and abundantly hopeful, Chappell unflinchingly confronts some of the hardest realities of living in a fallen world and unfailingly points to our assurance in Christ, who will make all things new. –Kathryn Butler, Author, Glimmers of Grace

This book is for everyone whose emotions and circumstances take them to dark places, as well as for those who love them. Christine’s insights teach us much about God’s compassion and how we can trust him with our lament as well as come alongside others who are experiencing an emotional midnight. Immediately after I read Midnight Mercies, a hopeless friend asked for help and I felt ready to walk with her with Christine’s book in my hands. I highly recommend it. –Sharon W. Betters, Author, Treasures in Darkness; Executive Director, MARKINC Ministries

Christine does a wonderful job of weaving her personal story with the experiences of God’s people in Scripture. She compassionately offers struggling moms hope in the gospel. –Jim Newheiser, Executive Director, The Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship

Christine shares how depression affected her as a mother, shedding light on the underlying issues that can lead to depression and giving hope in Christ to other suffering mothers.  –Shannon Kay McCoy, Biblical Counseling Director, Valley Center Community Church; Council Member, Biblical Counseling Coalition; Author, Help! I’m A Slave to Food

Midnight Mercies ministers not only to mothers who are walking through dark nights of the soul but to any woman who has been stricken with deep grief and pain. Christine candidly shares her own experiences while also working through the stories of biblical sufferers such as Moses, Elijah, Mary and Martha, Job, Naomi, and others. It is a must-read for all who have experienced brokenness and need practical encouragement to hold onto the hope we have in Christ. –Camille Cates, Speaker; Biblical Counselor; Author, Moving Forward after Abortion

Midnight Mercies is a rare book that interweaves the sharing of painful suffering, vulnerable personal stories, and tender faith in God. Though Christine writes to mothers who face depression, leading them by the hand through her own experience, the wisdom in Midnight Mercies will connect with sufferers of many types. –Ellen Mary Dykas, Director, Equipping for Ministry to Women, Harvest USA; Author, Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey

Christine Chappell comes alongside the hurting with biblical hope. Readers won't find trite responses or false self-rescue advice; rather, Christine gives voice to the reality of depression and the merciful God who enters the pit with us and offers us rest in him. If your heart is hurting today, read Midnight Mercies. –Christina Fox, Counselor; Speaker; Author, A Heart Set Free

In this excellent book, Christine Chappell shows us the heart of a mother who is struggling with depression. She has given us many useful insights, including a definition of the difference between normal sadness that is safe and sadness that puts a struggling mother at risk. Knowing the difference can be lifesaving.  –Charles Hodges, Executive Director, Vision of Hope Residential Counseling Facility for Women

Christine’s vulnerable testimony points not only to the reality that we all struggle in a broken world but also to the truth that throughout all of time God has been at work in the lives of those he calls his own. May his love and care minister to your soul as you take in Christine’s humble story of suffering. –Jonathan D. Holmes, Executive Director, Fieldstone Counseling

Christine knows depression is bleak. She is also confident that God has been her steady companion through it. She tells pieces of her story that will help you to learn to trust God's loving presence in your depression too. Her advice is kind. Every passage of Scripture Christine shares is relevant to types of suffering that depression brings. –Jenny Solomon, Speaker; Cofounder, Solomon SoulCare; Author, Reclaim Your Marriage

Midnight Mercies is a sweet gift for the weak and weary. Walk with Christine as she speaks personally and tenderly about the desolation of depression and our God who meets us in seasons of sorrow. God has gifted Christine with comforting scriptural insights, which she captures so well they will be anchors for your soul when you desperately need his mercies. –Darby A. Strickland, Counselor, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF); Author, Is It Abuse?

Overflowing with hope and grace, this book is a treasure chest of helpful transparency and biblical wisdom for any woman who is walking through a dark valley. –Paul Tautges, Pastor; Counselor; Author, Anxiety