Thy Deepest Distress: Anxiety and Depression in the Christian Life

by Aaron L. Garriott

Hope in the Shadows: A Christian Guide to Anxiety and Depression

Are you or someone you love struggling with anxiety or depression and searching for answers that go deeper than quick fixes or empty platitudes? Thy Deepest Distress: Anxiety and Depression in the Christian Life by Aaron Garriott is a compassionate, biblically rich guide for Christians facing the storms of mental anguish.

This book stands out for its pastoral warmth, theological depth, and practical wisdom. Garriott weaves together personal experience, historical insight, and timeless truths from Scripture to show that anxiety and depression are not signs of weak faith, but part of the complex reality of living in a fallen world. Drawing from the lives of Christian giants like John Bunyan, Martin Luther, John Owen, William Cowper, and Charles Spurgeon—each of whom battled their own “dark nights of the soul”—Garriott demonstrates that even the greatest saints have walked this difficult path.

Rather than promising a cure, Thy Deepest Distress offers hope, perspective, and tools for living faithfully amid suffering. Readers will discover how God’s providence, Christ’s sympathy, and the hope of future glory can transform even the deepest distress into an opportunity for spiritual growth and deeper communion with God. With practical appendices on prayer and daily practices, this book is an invaluable companion for anyone seeking light in the darkness.

200 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2026

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron Garriott’s book really is excellent, made more powerful by his own struggles with OCD and crippling anxiety, combined with his excellent Biblical and theological insights. It will be one of the first books I recommend to people dealing with these issues. It also has two very helpful appendices the first called ‘Practices for Anxiety’, and a second called ‘Prayers for Anxiety’. This really is a helpful, practical, wise, and Biblically rich treatment of the kind of afflictions that many believers endure and suffer with silently. Highly recommended if you struggle with these things, or if you desire to minister to those who do!

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book! I would highly recommend this book to anyone walking through the valley of anxiety and depression. The author takes us back to scripture again and again as the true rest and remedy for the weary sufferer. This book is filled with examples of suffering saints who have gone before us, and with practical examples of how we can bear the burden of distress. I found this book to be a certain balm for my soul.