Tackling Depression God’s Way (3) By Babatunde Olugboji
For the over 300 million people worldwide suffering depression, it could be debilitating. It is an illness that adversely affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. It could cause feelings of gloom and doom; it could cause you to lose interest in activities you once cherished and diminish your capability to function at work and at home. But thank God for Bible passages we can rely on, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to take people facing depression to a better place.
- Jesus Will Take Your Burdens Off You:
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
There’s no doubt that depression can feel like being crushed under a massive weight. It is an enormous burden. Some people describe depression as feeling like they are being crushed by the weight of the world. If that’s how you feel, then this Scripture for depression can help you to recognize that you don’t have to stay feeling that way.
Jesus wants to give you rest. To get the rest from the oppressive burden of depression, Jesus tells us to take our burdens to Him. He speaks of His yoke. A yoke is a device that was used in farming, where two oxen would be yoked together to pull a plow.
In this Bible verse, Jesus is inviting you to share the weight of your depression with Him. It’s too heavy for you to carry alone. He wants you to be yoked to Him, so that the load is shared, making the weight much lighter and easier to carry. In this way, you can find hope.
- God Will Never Fail Nor Abandon You:
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
When you’re experiencing deep depression, it can feel incredibly lonely. Our perceptions are often distorted by depression, so simple things like friends not calling can feel like abandonment. It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you’re completely alone and abandoned when you really need people. There are usually logical reasons for friends not calling, but the depressed mind tends to dismiss those, unfortunately.
Just as you can feel abandoned by friends and family, it’s common to feel that God has also abandoned you. When you feel that way, it’s really helpful to focus on this Bible verse. Write it on a post-it note and display it somewhere you will see it frequently during the day like maybe the bathroom mirror. God promises never to fail or abandon us, and God cannot break His own promise. No matter how we feel, God doesn’t let us down like people often do. He is always with us. Combat your feelings of abandonment with the firm reminder that God is not going to leave you alone in your depression.
Remember, God is right there with you.
Have a great week.
Kingdom Dynamics, a weekly column written by Dr. Babatunde Olugboji, the President, Kingdom House, a non-profit organization in New Jersey, USA.
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