I have covered this subject before, but I feel it needs to be discussed again. Depression is something that many deal with. Each person and situation are different and may have different solutions. I would like to look at some Bible characters to explain this.
David, Jeremiah, and Noah. All 3 of these dealt with depression. Their situations were drastically different and the solutions were too.
David lost everything in an instance. His family gone, his friends turned against him. Nobody was there to help. The Word says that David encouraged himself in the LORD his God (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV). The depression you face may or may not come in the form of loss. You may have no one to come help you. You may have to dig yourself out of this pit. Reminding yourself of God’s goodness and grace. You may have dirt under your fingernails from climbing out this pit, but with God’s help you can do it.
Then there’s Jeremiah and the pit that he was in. Jeremiah was put into a pit. The Word says that in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire (Jeremiah 38:6 KJV). Jeremiah sank deeper into this pit and could not pull his way out of this. Ebedmelech took 30 men with him to pull Jeremiah out of this pit. This pit and mire can be symbolic of your depression. Instead of being able to pull yourself out you may just sink deeper with your efforts. You may need help. You may need a friend, counseling, and others encouraging you to get out.
Noah was saved from God’s wrath on the world. He may have been facing what he felt like was a failed ministry. He preached for 120 years and only saved 7 people. Millions died while they escaped. Now he’s on a floating zoo with a different ministry, tending to the animals daily. I can’t help but think that Noah would think while he was tending to these animals how much easier this would be if he had more help. Then spiral down into what could I have done differently to reach those that perished? The darkness of the inside the ark and the rain falling only magnified the depression. Noah could not bring himself out of this. His family was with him, but they were in the same “boat” of depression. The storm was coming from all directions, because the rain was falling and the fountains of the deep were still open. This required a move of God, a miracle that only God could do. In Genesis 8 God did just that.
Genesis 8:1-3 NET 1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over the earth and the waters receded. 2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 3 The waters kept receding steadily from the earth,
Genesis 8:15-16 KJV 15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
If you notice it says that God remembered Noah. We read that and may think: God forgot Noah. The phrase “God remembered” is not meant to imply that God forgot Noah. Instead, it means that God kept his promise to save Noah and his family.
Your storm may be coming at you from every direction. You may not be able to even see the slightest glimmer of light. Your family may be going through it with you. You may even feel forgotten. God has not forgotten you and He will stop the storm. Wait patiently for Him and He will send exactly what you need. To address you feeling forgotten we will look at what the Word says in Isaiah 49:14-16 (ISV) 14 “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has abandoned me, and my God has forgotten me.’ 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or have no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these mothers may forget; But as for me, I’ll never forget you! 16 Look! I’ve inscribed you on the palms of my hands, and your walls are forever before me.
So if you pull yourself up by your bootstraps. If you need others to pull you out. Or if you need a supernatural deliverance. Hold on, wait patiently, keep praying, don’t give up. I know it’s hard to see it now, but you can and will walk out of this.
Psalm 40:1-3 KJV 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.