Depression is unpleasant. (Thank you Captain Obvious). I’m not talking about, ‘I had a bad day’ or ‘the Lakers just lost in the playoffs so I’m bummed out’ depression, but real, medically acknowledged, I feel like I can’t think, get out of bed, get through this black cloud for days or weeks depression. Anyone who has experienced it or knows close friends or family who has experienced depression knows the pain, anguish, and despair it can bring to a person’s life. If you have felt the inability to focus, been unable to get off the couch or bed, or known the dark thoughts of unquenchable despair and hopelessness, then you know what I’m talking about.
Inevitably the experience of depression leads to questions about God, his character, his control over life, and the nature of evil. This is especially true for Christians. The questions are usually the same: “Why me?”, “What is the point of this?”, “Does God care?”, “Is he in control?”, “Has He forsaken me?”, or “Why does God allow this to happen to me/my friend/family member?”
It’s difficult and almost unfair to try and resolve these questions in a short article like this. My intention is not to answer all of the listed questions, but instead is to provide some truths from the Word that will hopefully bolster and encourage your faith when dealing with the despair and despondency which can engulf a believer who experiences depression.
In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I have struggled with depression off and on since my senior year of college. I was coming back to college after a Christmas break and all of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m not really sure how or why it happened. All I know is I got up one morning and was as down as I had ever been in my entire life. I couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t pray, couldn’t communicate what was going on inside of me and didn’t even feel like leaving my dorm room. The worst part was I had no idea what caused me to feel this way. My then girlfriend, now wife, who loved me dearly, was utterly frustrated because she knew I was hurting but had no idea what was going on and therefore didn’t know how to help me. Thankfully I came out of this unpleasant funk after a couple of weeks, but it was only the beginning of my struggles with depression. That being said, I know my experiences with the disease are mild when compared to some and I know I am fortunate for the care from doctors, counselors, and friends that I have received.
There is hope for those of us who fight in this war. Firstly I would remind us all that we are not alone. Great men of history have wrestled against it including famous English preacher Charles Spurgeon, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Abraham Lincoln, Protestant reformer Martin Luther, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Olivia Newton-John, (that girl from Grease), and Hall of Fame Quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Most recently, Hall of Fame basketball guard Jerry West published his biography in which he details his deep struggles with depression throughout his life and career. No, they’re not all Christians, (as far as I know), but it does highlight the wide spectrum of people depression has affected. So you’re not going through this on your own.
The Word is not silent on the issue of depression. No, there is not a “Thus saith the Lord, ‘Nicodemus was medically diagnosed as depressed,” verse. Nor is there a verse in 2nd Opinions that offers us all a quick fix. However, we can look to the Scriptures and see how others have experienced the feelings associated with depression. Psalm 69, 22, 13, 70, and 88 echo the anguish of despair, loneliness, abandonment, doubt, confusion, hopelessness, and pain that those who experience depression. What’s the hope in that you say? It is to know that many of God’s most faithful servants, (King David included), knew the depths of despair that we have felt. There is also hope in knowing God was able to bring them through their struggles, give them hope, and still use them in spite of their anguish.
Finally, knowing God is able to redeem our pain and suffering for our good and his glory should give us great hope. We do not suffer in vain. The things we endure the Lord will use. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that God “comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God,” (2 Cor. 1:4). We are promised that God will use all things for our good, even depression, to mold us into the image of his son Jesus, (Rom. 8:28-30).
Depression is awful, (thank you again Captain Obvious). However, we’re not alone in our pain and God is not without compassion and faithfulness as he walks with us in our despair. In these things we suffer through God is loving us through it all and making us more like Jesus. He will also use the struggles we go through to glorify himself and to bless others. Through all of our pain we are ever learning to “trust not in ourselves, but God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us,” (2 Cor. 1:9-10).
God bless you all who walk in the valley of the shadow. We’re not alone.
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