At the End of My Rope

Sometimes I feel like nothing ever goes right in my life. Every little thing makes me angry and when I’m not angry, I’m depressed. In my more lucid moments, I realize that I’m just being selfish and that seems to make me even more depressed. My mind struggles with what I should do. I’m not helpless to the point that I cannot reason, so why can I not think of an answer? Why can’t I get my attitude where it should be? Why am I like this?

When I consider what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:14-25, I realize that I am not the only one who suffers like this. And, I don’t really think that Paul and I are the only two, either. I have generally found that I am enough like everyone else that if I preach sermons I need to hear, most everyone else benefits, as well. The same is true of this battle with depression. Now, I realize that some suffer from depression more than others and some suffer from clinical depression and need professional, medical care. Please do not take what I say here to mean that I do not think there is a need for professional help for the clinically depressed. I am speaking more to the spiritually depressed; those people like me who occasionally get “down,” feel self-pity and who need a little encouragement to get their ship aright or their act together as the case may be.

If I will think this through, I will remember Paul’s words in Romans 7:24,25: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” That is the main bit of encouragement we need to get us out of the doldrums. However, there are some other things from Scripture that will help.

Some time ago I read an article written by Neal Pollard in the Gospel Gleaner quarterly, entitled: “God’s RX for Depression.” It is an excellent article and I want to give this brother credit for a job well done. In his article, brother Pollard gives a 3-part plan for handling depression. I have found these things to be true in my own life, but I didn’t think to write them out this way. First of all, Find Someone to Serve. A few weeks ago I was in a foul mood. I did not know why and that just made my angrier. I finally decided I would find something nice to do for someone else and guess what…it worked! How many times do we find Jesus at a particularly stressful point in His life, turning to the multitudes and healing all kinds of diseases and feeding the hungry? There is something cathartic about helping other people.

Second, Find Some Time To Meditate. By meditation we mean, of course, meditation on the Word of God. The further you get from God the weaker spiritually you are going to be. Every one of us needs to be spending more time in the Word of God, especially when we are depressed and the whole world seems to be falling apart. Brother Pollard points out: “Meditation works! Delight follows meditation (Psalm 119:15-16). Strength follows meditation (Psalm 119:27-28). Depression may be defeated by saying, with our deeds, what David wrote, ‘Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I shall be glad in the Lord’ (Psalm 104:34, NASB).”

Third, Find Some Thing To Eliminate. Brother Pollard suggests eliminating doubt, or dread, which is a good suggestion. Both doubt and dread suggest a lack of faith in God. Remember, before you can ever be filled with Christ you must empty yourself. Something in you is causing depression; get rid of whatever it is and give yourself completely to Christ. Your problems won’t necessarily go away, but you will have much more ammunition to use in dealing with whatever this life throws at you.

God is for you if you are with Him. And if God is for you, who can be against you (Romans 8:31)? You can and should have a great week because God loves you and so do I.

Donnie Bates