God Has an Answer to Depression.

Clinical depression is utterly debilitating for those that suffer from this painful disorder and we thank God that there are secular therapies and prescribed drugs that can alleviate the symptoms. However, there can frequently be deep spiritual issues, related to depression, that the medical profession cannot reach.

Many sufferers speak of overwhelming blackness and heaviness during bouts of depression, so it is sensible, when considering this deep distress, to explore what might have caused such spiritual heaviness. Today’s verse tells us that Jesus came in order to address issues exactly like these. In fact, He alone can truly bring restoration to our spiritual needs.

A secular psychoanalyst, with over thirty years of experience in treating depression, recently commented that she had come to the conclusion that depression is a way of unconsciously defending ourselves against overwhelming thoughts and emotions, usually generated by childhood trauma. She suggested that it is like a blanket over feelings that are unacceptable to the conscious mind.

Of course, this may not be a full explanation of the causes of this widespread disorder, but it strongly resonates with how many followers of Jesus have recognised the roots of their depression. They have found true healing through allowing God into the deep inner wounds as well as into the ways in which they have sought to ‘blanket’ the past. Coping with past pain, without God, invariably distorts the spiritual condition of our hearts.

Prayer: Father, there is nothing which happens inside me that You do not see and understand. You encouraged us through the prophet Isaiah to reason with You rather than trying to cope without You. As I seek another step of restoration today, it is indeed my desire to welcome You into the dark and heavy places of my life. Amen.