I am writing you with words not of condemnation, but of encouragement. I cannot begin to imagine what you are dealing with nor know exactly what is going on in your heart and mind as you deal with your depression. However, I can sympathize with you because I too deal with depression from time to time. Many Christians say that they don't and that they can't understand why some Christians would be depressed if they truly believed in God. Depression is not a lack of faith. Depression can come out of nowhere in our lives, like a flat tire on our car. We can go to bed fine and feel like we had the best day of our lives and the next morning we wake up depressed, unfulfilled and trapped in our thoughts and emotions.
We can experience depression as the result of such things as trying circumstances, the change of seasons, bad news, and illness. If that is not enough, you have the day to day grind that adds to the burden of depression, whether it be the pressures of work, a distant spouse, unruly children, chores, and bills. The day to day grind for some of us is enough to put any of us in a state of depression. That was supposed to be a joke.
When depression comes, it can come on very strong. It can bring with it great anger, great sadness, and pain. It can feel like it will never go away. For some of us it makes us want to cry uncontrollably and for others it makes us want to punch a wall because there is an overwhelming amount of pain and pressure that we just want to be released from us. It is in these times that sin can be very luring because promises to make the pain go away; whether it is drugs, alcohol, an affair, porn, gambling, one-night stand; or a prostitute. The truth is, it takes the pain away and brings pleasure, but it is for a fading moment. Instead of giving us lasting freedom, sin adds to our despair and leaves us with shame and guilt for what we have done which ends up making the depression worst. Then Satan himself is whispering in our ears telling us that he can make the pain go away for good, by taking our own lives. It would take away the momentary pain, but that is not what God wants for any of his children. Satan wants to steal our lives, but the Father wants to give us life.
I am writing to you to encourage you to fight against your depression. Wage war on your depression. The battleground for our depression is mostly in our mind because it is fueled by the invading thoughts. However, we need to recognize that a lot of those thoughts are lies told by the flesh, the world and the devil himself. We combat those lies with God's truth about who he is and who we are in Christ. We may be convinced that we are unloved, but that is not what God says about you: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him (1John 3:1).
Maybe you are convinced God has abandoned you in your circumstances, but the truth is he is very present with you and he is holding you with his right hand: Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Maybe you are convinced that what you are going through right now is a result of God punishing you. God doesn't promise life will be easy or that we will not have any difficulties, but he does promise to do good to us, this includes discipline and allowing us to go through trying times so that we could have our joy rooted in him and that we would continue in the faith: Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-3).
Brother and Sister in Christ, as you fight against depression, remember also to look to Jesus. He is our hope. He is our constant. He is our unchanging. He is our unfading. He is the one thing that remains when it seems like our lives are crumbling around us. He is our Victor. Some of our sweetest moments with our saviour are in the struggles of life and depression because we are identifying with our saviour. I am providing you scripture that testifies about this amazing truth:
1 Corinthians 4:7-12 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Hebrews 12:1-2-Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1 Peter 4:12-13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Remember also that you have the Holy Spirit in you. He assures us that we are never alone. Though it may not seem like God is with us, we can be sure that he is because he dwells within us. This is extraordinary news. The God of the universe, the Spirit of Christ, dwells in us richly through the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead, the same Spirit that birth spiritual life in us, is alive in us. Not only that, he is at work in us. When we don't feel like fighting against sin or even our depression, he is fighting on our behalf and at work stirring us up so that we will join him in the fight. So encourage you that as you cry out to the Father about what is going on in you, fight your depression with God's truth, look to Jesus, and remember that the Holy Spirit is alive and at work in you. So walk in the Spirit so the flesh will not prevail in you (Ephesians 2, Galatians 5:16).
Lastly, I encourage you to find a trusted Christian friend or get connected with a small group where there is an openness to talk about your depression so that they can encourage you, support you, pray with you and share in your burden. Sadly, we can't talk to just any Christian about this because they don't understand what we are going through, or they are uncomfortable about the matter, or unwilling to be vulnerable with us in the midst of the struggle. Pray that God will provide you with someone to talk to or a small group to join. I also encourage to find a Christian counsellor to talk too because they can help you identify what is going on exactly with your depression and walk you through this struggle.
I know that what I wrote you will not make the pain go away, nor do I expect the pain and the depression to instantly go away as you try to wage war against your depression, but my hope is that as you fight and persevere that you see the great treasure that we have in Christ and that he treasures us greatly. Christ alone is worth fighting for.
Sincerely in Christ,
Josh Dorey
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