Even Christians Are Not Immune from Depression and Anxiety!

Today's young women are more likely to become depressed than their mothers were and at a younger age. Reasons: increased economic pressure to contribute to family income...changing role in society...inability to meet their own expectations...a sense of having lost control.    -Dr. Gerald Klerwan, in Homemade, December. 1986

According to Galatians 5:22, two of the fruit of the Spirit are joy and peace. In Philippians 4:7, 9, the promise of the Gospel is that the peace of God which surpasses all our ability to understand should guard our hearts and minds. When God promises this, why are Christians facing depression and anxiety as often as anyone else in the world?

What does the Bible say about overcoming issues such as depression and anxiety? No doubt, we are all aware of Philippians 4:6 which instructs us to cast our cares upon the Lord and He will care for us. But, if you are like me, you wonder exactly how we do that. Does that mean simply pray or is there more to it? I think there is more. I think there is a lifestyle we must adopt that will, over time, replace our depression and anxiety with peace, joy and comfort.

But, before we look at that lifestyle, let me say it is not simple, nor instantaneous. It will take work and time. If you are depressed or anxious today, there is nothing I can say that will have the problem fixed by tomorrow. There are no band-aids for this, only a change of life based on the word of God. I do recognize that where people are facing actual medical conditions, they will need medical help. I do not wish to minimize that at all. (Disclaimer: Nothing I say in this lesson should be construed as a medical opinion about how to deal with medical problems!)  

With all of this background, where can we go to find out how to have joy and peace? There are numerous examples in reference to this question in the Bible. I would like to share some that might prove helpful to you in this matter. In Romans 12:3, Paul says we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Yet, most of the time, when someone faces brokenness, we spend all our time trying to get them to think more highly of themselves. The problem is, we have all sinned (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3). Because of that, we have no hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12).

We are weak, helpless and hopeless if we continue to rely on ourselves. If we continue to pump ourselves up and try to make ourselves feel good about ourselves, we will never do any better than what Paul describes in Romans 7:7-24. We will constantly think we should do better than we are doing, we will constantly try and we will constantly fail. We will constantly have an emotional roller coaster as we pump ourselves up, only to fail ourselves again and again.

If we wish to be blessed, if we wish to have joy, peace, contentment and true happiness we have to be willing to count everything else as rubbish. We have to be willing to give everything else up as loss in order to attain righteousness. Too often, we want enough righteousness to get us into heaven while we cling to our other hungers as well. God has promised, if we meekly submit to Him, pursuing His righteousness above all else, we will be satisfied. I know that is hard for us who are constantly falling to fathom. But God has promised we will be satisfied.

Also, if we continue in our hunger for money, for power, for fame or even just for happiness, we will never be satisfied. Consider the Preacher of Ecclesiastes in Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:17. His conclusion was that life was vain and he hated it when he pursued other courses. Depression and anxiety will become the mainstay in our lives. However, when we meekly submit to God, hungering for His righteousness, He will give it to us. We will be satisfied. Even the Ecclesiastes writer recognized that in the end proclaiming our entire purpose is to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). No doubt, we will have lapses. We will have times when we return to God in mourning for repeated sins.

However, knowing His forgiveness for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, we have contentment and peace. But, let me repeat, this only comes when we are willing to cut off all the other things for which we hunger. If God blesses us with other things, fine. But if we are trying to pursue them alongside righteousness, we will always fall short. We will always linger in depression and anxiety.

Finally, being merciful can go along way in our relationship with others. Merciful, as used here, means to be “actively compassionate, not merely unhappy for the ills of others…but desirous of relieving them; not merely pity, but beneficent aid promptly applied.” The great biblical example of mercy is found in Luke 10:30-37. The Samaritan showed mercy to the robbed and beaten Jew.

Again, mercy is showing "active" compassion. It means doing more than telling those in need to be warmed and be filled but rather to invite them in saying, “Let me warm and fill you” (cf. James 2:16). Mercy means seeing those in need and filling their needs. Mercy means doing good to everyone as we have opportunity, especially for those of the household of faith. If we wish to have peace, joy, contentment and true happiness based on the blessed gifts of God, we need to quit pursuing all the mercy we want from God and start striving to grant mercy to those around us.

We must also focus on our relationship with God. As James 4:8 says, “Purify your hearts, you double-minded” (ESV). When our heart is divided in loyalty, it has become impure. If we wish to have blessed peace, joy and contentment, we must be singly devoted to loving and serving God. Only when we are intently devoted to Him, will we be able to see Him. By seeing Him, we do not only mean to see Him in the end for eternity, but being able to see Him even now.

Only through single-hearted devotion will we be able to see His hand even as we endure the bad things of this life. Only through single-hearted devotion will we be able to know that His hand surrounds us no matter what we face in this life. Only through single-hearted devotion can we know that our God has not abandoned us but is with us every step of the way (Hebrews 13:5-6).

Thus, if we want to have peace, contentment, joy and happiness, overcoming our depressions and anxieties, we have to be less focused on ourselves and more focused on God and others. Through this kind of lifestyle we are casting our cares upon God. Through complete submission to Him, we are saying, “Lord, take care of my life and my problems.”

Yes, we must pray. We must ask for God’s help. However, peace and joy do not come through a magical period of prayer that takes over our heart. Peace and joy come from turning away from self and turning to God. This won’t happen overnight. But, if you work on it daily, it will happen. You too can be blessed, bearing the fruit of joy and peace that passes all understanding.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8; Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 27:14; Psalm 147:3; Proverbs 12:25; Mark 9:23

Prayer: Father, Your word says let not my heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, Father, I come to You because I need to cast my worries, my cares upon You.  Your word said that I could because You care for me.  So Father, I cast all my cares, all my worries, all my anxieties, all my problems, all my doubts, all my fears, and all of my needs concerning this problem upon You. Be merciful, O Lord, for I am calling on You constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for my life depends on You. Amen

-thanks to Franklin Church of Christ

May God bless you!

Julie