When you are feeling low and you begin questioning your faith, what do you do?
Depression is an issue which touches us all in one way or another. A friend or relative may experience a dark time in life, or we ourselves might go through what some have called a dark time of the soul. How do we address those times?
I remember many years ago as a teenager listening to a conversation among some older people where it was seriously questioned whether genuine Christians could ever experience such times. I don’t know why, but the conversation, or at least the doubts expressed in that conversation have stayed with me. Perhaps it was because I was still trying to figure out what I thought about depression, and when I did come to a conclusion, I was amazed how people could think like that.
The fact is, Christians do experience times of darkness. They are genuine believers. They are no less children of God because of those terrible experiences, but some have a character and disposition that makes them more inclined to see things negatively and may more readily fall into a state of depression. Some experience physical issues which cause changes in their bodies – chemical imbalances for example – which have profound effects on their emotional outlook and bring about a trial of darkness.
We only need to pick a few of the Psalms of David to know that he experienced times of darkness that troubled him greatly left (Ps 40:1-3; 69:1-2), or consider Jeremiah (Jer 15). But serious depression is not resolved by a passing quote from the Scriptures, and is not for amateurs, nor is it resolved by brief comments here. Wise and sensitive and people are needed, along with patience and perseverance. Especially important are those who have the true heart of God’s love in Christ Jesus. The careful counsel of those with expertise and medicine is also mandatory.
Let me, however, point out several issues that we must take special regard for when addressing depression in ourselves or caring in for others in depressed states.
First, let any suggestion that depression is automatically to be regarded as Satanic be rejected. It may be an assault by the powers of the evil (Eph 6:12), but when we speak of those who have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour (believing Him to be the Son of God, who also took a human body to Himself being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, was buried, and was raised to life again after three days and ascended into heaven to receive all power and authority from God the Father), let us be sure of this: the Spirit of God has taken up residence in their hearts (Matt 16:17; Rom 8:9,11; 1Cor 3:16). Do not think this heart can be possessed by another competing spirit. God does not share His people with the devil or any of his servants for any reason! He cannot live in same soul and make room for an evil power, or vacate that residence for a time in order for an evil power to come in. The holiness of God cannot allow it. The faithfulness of God will not allow it.
Job (in the Old Testament) was tried and tested to the extreme, and assaulted terribly by the devil. The devil could do a great deal, but it was all external to both the spiritual and physical life of Job.
Second, the place of common Christian care or is critical. Those who are down find it extremely difficult, sometimes impossibly so, to motivate themselves to do anything at all, and it is easy for those who are close to them to get frustrated and to preach at them to “snap out of it”. The reality for the seriously depressed is that they simply can’t, and for the moderately depressed it takes energy that may not be available. This is where firm, persevering but patient support from caring fellow Christians is so important. We must not badger that depressed – it will only drive them further down, but neither must we give in and simply allow the depressed to hide themselves in inability.
Third, it is of the greatest importance that we affirm for the depressed and for ourselves that God’s hand and hold upon us is stronger than our weakness. In Philippians 3:12 the Apostle Paul presses on to possess that which Christ has already made his. Our faith wavers, and one moment is strong and in another weak. Our security in Christ Jesus does not budge, though, even a tiny amount. We may not be able to see God with the darkened eye of faith, but we are never out of God’s sight (2Tim 2:19, Phil 1:6).
Focus not on your faith – it may be small and frail, but focus on the greatness of the Saviour.