Hope for the Depressed – Part One (January 13, 2025) – By Mike D. Whitney
Winter in Maine can be extremely beautiful! Freshly fallen snow on the limbs temporarily turns barren trees into a Norman Rockwell masterpiece. And what could be better than snowflakes drifting lazily through the air to make for a perfect Christmas Eve in New England?
But New England’s captivating beauty is lost on those who suffer from the “dark night of the soul” also known as depression. For them, the limbs are always bare and nothing on earth can make Christmas Eve anything more than the loneliest time of the year.
If you find yourself walking life’s darkest moments right now, is there any hope that things will change, that you will get to see the sun again?
Based on the authority of God’s Word, the answer is YES! But most likely you will not “jump” out of your darkness, instead, you will simply walk out of it step by step into the light. Let me explain.
While the Lord could just “snap His fingers” and instantly “cure” your depression, He will probably use this occasion to teach you how to walk by faith, trusting His heart of love for you despite how you feel. He DOES love you, you know, and the darkness you are walking in is not an indication of His absence, in fact, Jesus is more present than He ever has been because that is what He does for His hurting child.
Let Isaiah 50:10 guide you right now, “Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of His servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on their God.”
Remember Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe”