Depression and Anxiety according to The Bible
INTRODUCTION
What is the reason behind being anxious?
Sometimes we overthink over situations and
create fake scenarios in our minds just to only make the situation worse . And
sometimes we think, “why is this happening to me?, why me?, does God even care
about me”, and many other. Depression and anxiety are not just modern
inventions. Though nowadays we speak about mental health and be more
emotionally openly, anxiety and depression have been part of human story for
many centuries. Many believers might think facing emotional struggles is a sign
of failing spiritually and start to wonder if, “if God is really shouldn’t I be
at peace now?” or maybe they might also start to wonder if they are really
going through a right path.
The Bible presents honest picture of human
experience. The scripture does not hide the personal struggle and breaks downs
of God’s prophets or even fear among disciples. Instead, it shows how God
reveal to his people in their lowest moments. We have heard it from the Book of
Job, explaining the entire struggle Job went through from losing everything he
owned, losing his children and getting that serious sickness but still, he was
loyal to the Almighty God. And at his lowest, God rewarded his loyalty and faithfulness,
we see that in Job 42:10 .Moreover, we see that in Psalm 34:18 that the Lord is near to the heartbroken.
And all these passages shows that trusting God doesn’t mean ignoring the pain,
it means trusting his word and wait for his promise and relying on him in the
hard times.
Job
as a Sign of Depression(JOB 1-42)
The Book of Job is one of books with
inspirational stories. Job was an extraordinary man, he
feared God, he was very spiritually serious and he was far away from the evil. Job Offers sacrifices for his children and
prayed on their behalf in case they sin without knowing. Before Job’s struggle,
Job had seven sons and three daughters. His children and wife would gather for
feats and celebration together which shows a symbol of unity and his home was
wealthy and life was stable because Job had thousands of sheep, camels, donkeys
and many servants. The bible even says that he was “the greatest of all people
of the East.” Job was one of the faithful men in his time that in the opening
chapter even God speaks of his loyalty and faithfulness. However, the Devil
told God that the reason Job is faithful to him is that he have everything a
person can wish for. That if he takes away all he had, Job would turn his back
on God. God gave the permission to test Job and take away all he had but not to
touch his life. The devil killed all his children, took all his wealth and all
the animals Job owned. Even Job servants were killed and The Devil caused
painful sores to Job from head to toe. Job sat in ashes, scraping his skin with
broken pottery. His physical suffering was intense and humiliating that he lost
his dignity and friends, even her very own wife told him to curse God and die.
Not only Job suffered physically and financially, he experienced emotional
pain.
What is
admirable about Job’s life is not his emotional state, But it is his
faithfulness to not shame God after all the continuous hardships he was going
through. Job continued to Praise the God when others were telling him just
shame God and die in peace instead of suffering endlessly. And God did not
ignore his loyalty and his faithfulness he rewarded him twice as he had before.
As Believers,
this Passage teaches an important lesson and truth: Even Strong believers can experience
emotional breakdown. Being spiritually mature does not make one immune to
anxiety, depression and emotional collapse or fear. Job has witnessed God’s
hand and mercy in his tough time and he encountered God’s miracles in
extraordinary ways, but still he has struggled deeply. His story reminds us
that depression and anxiety is not sign of weakness in faith, the way we handle
depression is what shows our spiritual growth progress. And most importantly
God responds with love, mercy and compassion. Before God corrects he first
love, care and us for us. And in dark times what we need is not punishment,
what we need is being heard and fixed
God offers Peace not Anxiety(Philippians 4:6-7)
In the New
Testament, Paul the Apostle while he was imprisoned he wrote to the believers
in Philippi.
He wrote to the
believers to not worry that God will provide peace.
Many often
misunderstand this Passage. It does not tell us to ignore our struggles,
overlook our emotions or pretend anxiety and depression does not exist. But it
shows us how to handle our anxiety and depression. Paul is not denying that a
believer shall feel anxious; he is showing us whom we shall turn to when we
feel anxious. As in Matthew 11:28. This Passage often comfort those who are
facing life burdens inviting them to find a spiritual rest.
Anxiety feels
like carrying more burden on your shoulder and start makes everything seem
impossible to pass. But Paul suggests that prayer should be our first very
first thing to do not our last option. And Paul tells us to use a prayer as a
moment of release. When worries and fear are honestly expressed to God,
Something shifts internally, Not necessary that our struggles are answered or
resolved in that moment but there is a release of burden and everything feel
safe and under God’s control because God listens and he is always ready to
helps us with our burdens and make our hearts stay at ease. The peace of God
referred here is not something logical; it is more of the love and comfort God
gives to those who turns to him with a heavy heart.
Trusting God in
anxious times means running to him all the time without stopping. It does not
mean analyzing: “Why is this happening to me?” it means acknowledging that
everything happens for a reason and believing that the reason is God’s purpose
to our life. Trusting God in anxious times does not mean that we have to hide
our fears; it means accepting the fear and be honest to God that we need his
assistance. And it means that response or clarity does not come after prayers
immediately but Peace comes.
Being Brokenhearted does not mean God left you (Psalm 34:18)
Another very
powerful remainder comes from David in Psalm 34. David wrote many of his Psalms
during his hard times and times of anger. Psalms 34:18 .
This verse
opposes the fear that God become absent in hard times. Instead, it explains
that God stays close to those who are in pain . Emotional pain does not mean God
is away instead; it attracts his mercy. Being brokenhearted does not mean that
we are abandoned or God does not care for us. It does not even mean that we are
not worthy of God’s compassion or that
we are spiritually disqualified. In the darkest time, that is when we feel that
God’s presence feels quiet and personal. In darkest time God does not turn the
back on us, God is always there at the same spot he was at the time his son
Jesus was being crucified. God is together with us in our hard times, he just
want us to open our hearts for him and run to him and be honest when we express
ourselves to him.
TRUSTING GOD IN THE DARKEST SEASONS
When we look at
Job’s struggle, Paul’s imprisonment and David’s suffering, we can clearly learn
from one thing that: faith doesn’t eliminate hardships. However, it gives hope
and peace.
Trusting God or
having faith during depressive times and hardships does not mean we have to
ignore personal struggles and ignoring support. The word of God encourages us
to have faith in dark times but it does not condemn us to seek support and
help. God often works in his ways whether spiritual or practical means. It is
not necessary that God’s blessing are going to come directly from him.
Sometimes God uses other people to deliver our blessings. Trust grows slowly by
praying again, hoping again, having faith and refusing to give up. Dark seasons
should not be the sign of God’s absence. Sometimes there are seasons where our
faith grows stronger more than we can see. And sometimes Darkest times are for
proving God’s powerful love to our lives.
And trusting
God in darkest times means choosing to believe his goodness and presence and
promises even if the darkest times seems to delay his promises. In the darkest,
we do not have to change our beliefs because of the current situation.
Practical Steps to follow for Believers who are struggling
1.
Go to God honestly: when praying express to God honestly. Do not
hesitate to tell him what is troubling you because he is our father and the
only one who listens with no judgement. Do not let the silence tell you that it
is God’s absence. Because we saw that in the darkest moments that when God
reveals himself to those who believe him and offers peace and hope to those
facing troubles.
2.
Engage yourself in scripture: do not let anxiety or depression tell you that
you are alone. Find the peace by reading the bible, the word of God tells the
truth and offers hope. And in dark moments, all we need is hope and with hope,
our faith remains unchallenged.
3.
Listen to your body: do not let dark moments be your end line that
you are not allowed to rest. Allow yourself to rest. You do not have to neglect your body because
of the tough times. Even God allowed Elijah to speak and fed him before he
spoke.
4.
Find a Community: Galatians 6:2 tell us to “bear one another’s burdens.”
Depression and anxiety become worse when isolated. Find a trusted friend or
family member and allow yourself to be free to them. You do not have to carry
your struggles alone.
5.
Surrender the outcome: Trusting God and putting all our troubles in
God’s hand gives mental peace. It is not that we have to give up on everything.
It is about understanding God’s presence and believing in his promises and
trusting that even we are not seeing any progress; God is working.
CONCLUSION
Depression and
anxiety is not a sign or an indication that God has abandoned us. The story of
Job, David and Paul the Apostle is a reminder that God is always on our sides
whether in dark times or good times. These stories teaches that even those who
believes can face hard times and we clearly saw it that God was always there
for those who believe in him in their dark seasons. Trusting God does not mean
we have to ignore what we are passing through and pretend as if nothing is
happening. It means holding on God’s promises, stick on our faith in him, and
ask for God’s guidance and spirit in our darkest times. The darkest seasons
does not mean God’s absence and the darkest times should not make us doubt on
God’s promises. The darkest times are the times we witness and experience the
power of God on our life deeply.
Written By
Clovis Amatus
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