“Weeping
may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5b). “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” (Psalm 42:5). Perhaps you battle
depression, and you see no hope. But there is hope! In the midst of his hardest
time, David held on to that hope. He put his hope in God. “I will remember the
deeds of the Lord,” the psalmist wrote. “Yes, I will remember your miracles of
long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds”
(Psalm 77:11-12).
When life overwhelms your spirit and robs your joy, you sink into depression. You might try to call it something else because a Christian is not suppose to be depressed. That is just a lie. Anyone can be depressed. But as a Christian you have great promise of recovery, and His name is Jesus Christ. Admit you are depressed, and confess it to God. The psalmist remembered the days when the Lord blessed him, and days were not so hard. He wrote “To this I will appeal; the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand” (Psalm 77:10). Seek God, and His help. Admit your struggle to someone you trust. Pray privately and then pray with others for His help. “Truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).
“You are the God who
performs miracles,” the psalmist wrote. “You display your power among the
peoples” (Psalm 77:14). When hiding from Saul who wanted to kill him, David felt
alone and depressed. But he learned that encouragement made all the difference.
He learned to encourage himself. It is hard when you are so down to find hope,
but try to concentrate on who God is instead of who you are. Seek someone with
the gift of encouragement to help build your hope. Grasp their encouragement
with the little strength you possess, and tell the Lord again and again that you
need His strength.
“Loneliness breeds
depression,” Brother Bill taught on Sunday. Depression isolates. Fight
isolation. Make yourself do something for someone else. Give yourself away, and
minister to another. “I don't feel like it,” you might say. “There is nothing
left in me.” That is your depression. It is your feeling of isolation and
depression that holds you in bondage. Feelings cannot be trusted. God can be
trusted. His Word is truth. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). “By faith do
what you need to do, and feelings will come,” Brother Bill said. Persevere and
keep believing and acting on your belief. Little by little you will experience
freedom from your heaviness and depression. “So do not throw away your
confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you
have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews
10:35-36).
Remember when life
was better. You can learn to encourage yourself just as David encouraged himself
to rediscover his joy. Joy is not a feeling based on your emotion. Joy is God's
strength to raise you up, and carry you through the days of your life. Take care
of any physical reason for your depression, and then address the emotional and
the spiritual with His help. Place your trust and hope in God, and don't give
up. With perseverance you will receive what He has promised.
No comments:
Post a Comment