Giving It To God

Yesterday, I was looking through the New Testament to find some verses for two of my grandsons.  As I was flipping through the Bible, my eye was caught by the word "depression."  I am happy to say that this is not a word that comes to my mind much anymore, but once it did;  moreover, I know there are many afflicted year round with depression, and there are others who struggle with seasonal depression.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I hope you are not depressed;  but if you are, take heart.  Even the apostle Paul struggled with depression at times, which is not surprising.  I would be surprised if he did not have PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).  He had suffered stoning, imprisonment, and even been ship-wrecked.  However, he did not count his sufferings as loss, because they were for the cause of bringing others to salvation in Jesus Christ.  All he did was for God.

You can have the same joy Paul had and I have.  Give your cares to Jesus Christ.  You may think I don't understand, but I assure you I do, because I was so depressed at one time that felt that I was losing my faith.  However, God would not let me go.  Even when I did not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit interceded for me:  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 (NASB, Romans 8:26).  Romans 8 is a wonderful chapter for Christians to read, because of great comfort for all of us there.  

Blessings upon you.  As I write, you are in my prayers.  I may not know your name, but God does.  Cast all your cares upon Him -- casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you   (NASB, 1 Peter 5:7).

2 Corinthians 7

1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from

 all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

² Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, 

we took advantage of no one. ³ I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said

 before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.

 ⁴ Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf.

 I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.

⁵ For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest,

 but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within.

 ⁶ But God, who comforts the depressed,comforted us by the coming of Titus;

 ⁷ and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort

 with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing,

 your mourning, your zeal for me;  so that I rejoiced even more.

 "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
 Used by permission."

When Morning Comes, Psalm 143:7-12

     "Smoky Lake" by Evgeni Dinev  /   www.freedigitalphotos.net 

Have you ever felt so depressed, that you felt God was hiding His face from You?    That is a horrible feeling, but that is exactly what it is -- a feeling.  I think it must have something to do with the numbness that can come with deep sadness.  Or maybe, it is because a depressed person becomes so withdrawn, he or she is trying to hide from anything that could make one hurt more.  I know from my own experience that it is hard to be constant in the wake of depression.  Deep down in your heart of hearts, in your soul -- you know you cannot be separated from God, but  guilt for not being your normal self weighs you down.  

Psalm 143, Part 2

Have you ever suffered from depression?  I'm not talking about the blues, or the bored-I-don't-know-what-to-do feeling that people sometimes get.  Psalm 143: 3-4 sounds like I felt when I was deeply, darkly depressed.  The author David speaks of the enemy:  for the enemy has persecuted my soul...  The enemy, of which David writes, is probably Saul.  However, I believe the enemy  is Satan, who would persecute the souls of all he could touch.  Yes, he uses people, circumstances, disease, and dark forces of evil to try to touch the minds of even Christians.   For the scientific minded, this may sound superstitious, but I assure you there are dark forces that fight against God and the Godly.  Some of us may have genes that give us a predisposition to Depression and other diseases.  I do not deny that, and the Enemy will use the weapons at hand. 

Depression does overwhelm the spirit;  and the afflicted feel like there is no way out, no where to go.  I cannot speak for other people, but my heart was appalled within me.  I suffered actual physical pain at times;  and even though I had no apparent physical heart problems, I actually felt like I was being stabbed in the heart sometimes.  The three things I had going for me were God, my family, and my friends.  Whether or not I could feel love:  I knew love.  And for those who have never been clinically depressed, I want to explain that depression colors everything in dark grays.  Even though one may be aware of being cared for, the hurt inside makes it very difficult to feel and respond as a well person would.  I know for a fact it was God's spirit that reminded me when I wanted permanently out of everything, that I had to hold on for a while longer.

Courtesy of [James Barker]
 www.freedigitalphotos.net/ 

I remember the days of old; 
I meditate on all Your doings; 
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I stretch out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You, as a parched land.
Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;
Do not hide Your face from me...  Psalm 143: 5-7a  (NASB)

I wanted to bold-face this entire section, because this is exactly how I felt. 

I leave you with this:  God does care.  1 John 4:4 states:  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

This is one of many verses that sustained me in my dark periods.  I thank God for His great Grace and Mercy.  He is good, and He is good all the time.

Prayer:  Father,  I thank you for sustaining us in the dark times, for carrying us through the periods of our lives that threaten to crush our spirits forever.  It is by your Grace, the human connections you give us, your memorized Word, your written Word, your songs and the memories of how you have touched our lives that help us to heal.  There is also the hope we have, that one day there will be no more tears.  Oh how we all long for that day, no matter what our present condition is.  Father, you are worthy of all praise.  In the precious name of Your Son,  Amen.

P.S.  I would like elucidate further on the words:  remember, meditate, muse, and stretch;  unless, you comment and say you totally get it.  I am  thinking I should share some of the application of those words, as they helped me to heal and brought me moments of respite.


“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB." 
www.lockman.org