DEPRESSION.
In the past many months, depression as a word has significantly featured in our Newsrooms than any other word. The other word following this is suicide, followed by murder! What is happening to this generation is a phenomenon and needs close attention. Doctors are administering drugs and therapy like no other time in history. Juvenile deaths are rampant ranging from suicide, overdose, and grizzlymurders. Fathers are finishing off families because of stress or other dissatisfactions. What is happening? Is therapy failing? Is the solution counseling? Well, therapy and counseling are all well-meaning and helpful, yet none of them reaches to the heart of the matter. The problem we see today is not just a pressure problem. It is not a moral decadence problem. It is a heart problem. Many people have dismissed Biblical Christianity saying that it is only a way of escape. People try transcendental meditation to no avail. Freeing the spirit does not help us in sorting our heart issues. Anti-depressants and chemical balancing pills have shown that there is a leak in that kind of solution though I’m not against them.
The synonyms of this word are like sadness, unhappiness, melancholy, despair, and hopelessness. Such is the state of the person who is battling this new disease called depression. They have no hope for tomorrow, no joy in their souls and no motivation for anything in this world. They find no light in whatever they are engaged in doing. It may be that something happened to them that pushed them that far once upon a time. All in all, they have darkness at heart that is beyond two-hour sessions or drugs. At the core of it, depression is a reflection of heart, exposing the emptiness that the enemy brings in a soul in order to do his work of killing, stealing and destroying.
Biblical Remedy
1. KNOW GOD
If over time the genius of counseling and therapy have proven to lack the finality of dealing with this matter, how else can we or should we think and approach this matter? By going back to the manual and manufacturer of all life- God! We need to get back to the foundation of all things.
Who is God? God is the creator of our lives, who is all-powerful and beyond human comprehension. He is love and reigns with power over all principalities and rulers and authorities. (Genesis 1, Isaiah 46, Psalm 139). John 1 reminds us that through Christ, God the Son, all things are made and without Him was nothing made that exists. Our very form and nature are in his image. When we are in him truly and fully, we have total acceptance, significance, and security. We do not see the need for external things to prompt us in this direction. Why? Because we have Christ if we are born again. Such is the hope that goes beyond the veil and the grave. Hope that leads us in triumphant entry together with Christ, against all forms distortions of this truth in us. We need to come back to the realization that God is not a myth! He is the hope, the joy, and consummator of all things. A heart that is depressed, above all things, needs interaction and a relationship with the one who created and fashioned it. Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you as learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light, and you will find rest for your soul.”Matthew 11v28-29.
If you are feeling depressed and you think you have no way out, well, Jesus is the true way. If you find him then you will find your way to your Father God. In him, there is no shadow of turning. Call out upon the Lord to reach into your heart and make you whole again. If you have a friend going through this, let the Lord help you to bring the truth of our Father God who is always concerned about our lives to them.
2. KNOW YOUR IDENTITY
Jesus said that eternal life is in two things;the only true God and Jesus whom he sent! Eternity is our ultimate form of existence. We are not just going to cease existing. We must be gathered to a different place. When we know God at Salvation, we start to know who we really are! There is no better understanding of our identity than in knowing the one who gave it to us. Scripture has many reminders of this kind of knowing. The Spirit tells us that we have hope in Christ, life and breathe as well. In times sadness, we are reminded that God our balm of Gilead, our comforter and present help in times of trouble. He is our joy, and he asks us to ask of things to make our joy complete. ephesians 1v3- 14has surprising truths that can really transform our hearts. To know Christ and understand that in him we are all these things and more, can be an excellent deterrent for many hearts in regards to depression.
Do you know Christ today? Has he saved your soul? Do you know him in your heart beyond lip service? Those who genuinely know Christ have put aside the things that weigh them down by faith. They can walk with their head held high, and their hearts affirmed in Christ. He is their peace and the fulfillment of all that the Father has promised. Coming to Christ for who he is and not what he can do for us, is the most excellent foundation any man can stand upon. Drugs can create dependency which may be unhealthy though I’m not against them. Therapy and counseling conversations may not be sustainable at the end of the day. But surrendering to Christ- or helping one who is depressed see Jesus for all his worth, is the surest way of defending against, fighting against and standing free from this disease called depression. Come to Christ and let him deal with your depression.
