GOD’S CURE FOR DEPRESSION

 

In life, we worry about many things. We worry about our jobs, our homes, our children, our bills, etc. The worry comes especially when times are bad and we do not know what will happen in the future. It can lead to depression. Depression is no respecter of persons. When it strikes, we feel lousy and lonely, weary and worthless, helpless and hopeless. We may even feel like giving up and ending our life. God forbid that any Christian should ever contemplate or even attempt suicide.

How not to worry? How to avoid depression? From Philippians 4:5-9 we learn how. If we want to be mentally and emotionally healthy, we must apply the following life-giving principles:

Live a Day at a Time in Anticipation of Christ’s Imminent Return

The Apostle Paul says, “The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4:5b). This means the Lord is coming back very soon. He can come back at any moment now. The Lord does not reveal the exact time of His return, but He commands us to be ready all the time, waiting, watching, working (Matt 25:1-13). When Christ comes back, all wrongs will be righted, and His people and His Truth will be vindicated.

I just taught the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ at the Far Eastern Bible College. The students were asked to write an essay on how the doctrine has changed their life. Indeed, for many, knowing about the end times and the Lord’s imminent return has changed their perspective of life and of the world. One Indonesian student wrote, “My life is not for this world. My life is for God. I will give my best to the glory of God. I don’t care what people think of me. They may question my decision for full-time ministry. They say I did a stupid thing. Who will feed you? How do you get money to live? Sometimes, these questions bother me. But after knowing this subject, I now see that this world is a temporary place. There is nothing that will stand in this world. I agree serving the Lord is a privilege and the most wonderful thing in this world.”

Here is a testimony from a Korean student: “Knowing the doctrine of the End-Times reminds me to live a holy life for Christ. Life is not a bed of roses. Living for Jesus is sometimes hard. Sometimes I need to sacrifice for God but it is worth it because reward is waiting for me. When I was a middle school student, I suffered miserable depression. So I thought about ending my life. I wanted to kill myself. I really thank God for saving me from the deepest depression. Death cannot end our problems. Therefore suicide cannot be the solution. If I do not believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour, I cannot go to heaven. There is no other way. Only one way to God— Jesus is the only way. He is man’s Mediator and Saviour. Depending on Almighty God can be comforting in times of trouble.”

A student from China said, “When I studied eschatology, I expected to have a better understanding of the doctrine of the end times. But the Lord has given me much more than I had expected. God opened my heart to see the urgency of the times, and reminds me to be vigilant and watchful. The Apostle Peter said, ‘the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer’ (1 Pet 4:7). It is true that the Day of the Lord is at hand. When the Lord comes, I have no more chance to serve Him. So I must be faithful and steadfast to work for the Lord before He returns.”

So let us live a day at a time, for who knows tomorrow might just be the day the Lord returns, and all our sorrows will be over. That is why Jesus tells us, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matt 6:34). Don’t worry about tomorrow. There are enough problems for today; just do what you need to do today, and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Pray and Thank God for All Things and Tell Him All Your Needs

We often hear people say, “Don’t worry, be happy.” That’s really a useless cliché because it tells you to be happy without telling you how. The Bible tells you how, “Don’t worry, be praying” (Phil 4:6). Jesus says, “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Although God is in heaven and we are on earth, He is not disinterested in what goes on in our life, and we are not disconnected from Him either. That is why Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Pour out your heart to God. Tell Him how you feel, tell Him all your problems, all your troubles, hardships, difficulties, sadness, just like you will tell your best friend. All your wants and wishes, you can tell Him. Why should we tell God everything? It is because God hears and answers prayers. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (Jas 4:2). Jesus says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt 7:7-11).

Now when we pray, we must not pray with a complaining spirit, blaming God for everything. When we pray, we must pray with a grateful spirit, thanking God for everything. That shows we are humble before Him. That shows we worship Him. That shows we trust Him. If we pray without a thankful heart, it is like a bird without wings. Our prayers will not ascend to heaven. When we pray with a grateful and thankful heart, God promises to bless us with His peace (Phil 4:7). This peace that comes from God is beyond human explanation. No words can describe it. This peace guards the heart and mind from doubts and worries. It will cure us of depression. It is something most wonderful, and to understand it, one must experience it.

We have this peace because God is no longer frowning at us but smiling. God is no longer an angry Judge but our heavenly Father. We are no longer children of the devil but children of God. We are no longer blind but we now see. We are no longer full of fear and folly, but full of faith, hope and love.

Don’t be doing nothing! Doing nothing will make us more and more depressed. We must be doing something, and that something must be something good. If we are to do good, we must first of all do this:

Fill Our Minds with Good Things Not Bad Things

It is important that we have holy thoughts and feelings. If we want to get out of depression, we should fill our minds with good things, things that are:

• true (alethe, ie, valid, credible, veracious, sincere, upright, honest, just) and not things that are false;
• noble (semna, ie, venerable, reputable, dignified, worthy of respect) and not things abominable or detestable;
• pure (hagna, ie, innocent, pure, blameless, chaste, holy) and not things that are immoral or defiled;
• lovely (prosphile, ie, dear, beloved, acceptable, pleasing) and not garbage or things disagreeable;
• of good report (euphema, ie, commendable, praiseworthy) and not things slanderous, or gossips and rumours (Phil 4:8).

The above list is not exhaustive. To cover every aspect of pure goodness, Paul wrote, “if there be any virtue (arete, ie, things that are morally excellent), and if there be any praise (epainos, ie, things that are commendable), think on these things” (Phil 4:8b).

Our God is a God of goodness and beauty. Things that are holy and truthful are good and beautiful. We should fill our minds and hearts with all these things. Where do we find these things? Not in the world of sin and Satan, but in the Kingdom of God—in Christ and His Word. So, read your Bible and pray every day. Have your Quiet Time with God by reading His Word, praying to Him, and committing your day to Him. The quarterly RPG devotional booklet can help you understand God and His Word more and more. Participate in spiritual activities of the Church, like the Lord’s Day Worship, Sunday school, prayer meetings, fellowship meetings, church camps, missions and evangelism. Study the Bible deeply by enrolling for the basic theology night classes at FEBC. Listen to good Christian music— the psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. You can purchase good Christian music CDs from the FEBC Bookroom.

Fill yourself with not just the Truth but also the Love of God. Jesus said, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). One good advice from our late founding pastor—Rev Dr Timothy Tow—is “Do something good for Jesus every day.”

No matter how bad things may get, never think of suicide. It is against God’s law, “Thou shalt not kill.” We have no right to take any human life, including our own. The life God gave to us is precious. God wants us to live, not die. That was why Jesus gave His life for us on the cross. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we might live. How can we then take life so lightly when God Himself has paid such a great price for it? Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25, 26). Believe and be saved! Keep on believing in Jesus Christ. We must not only keep on believing but also keep on living for Jesus. This is a sure cure for depression. JK