Depression is often called a pit, because it makes me feel like I’ve been separated from life. All light and sound and feeling has been cut off by high, thick walls all around me. I’m trapped in this dark place, alone, with only my own mind for company; and my own mind is rarely helpful in this situation. The thoughts of despair and loneliness echo off the cold walls and hit me in the face over and over again.
But God…
The truth is there is no pit so deep that God cannot reach me. There is no darkness God’s light cannot break through.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When I can’t feel the love of God at all, either because all I feel is despair or because I can’t feel anything at all, I can trust that God’s Word is true.
I read God’s Word when I’m depressed to contradict the lies reverberating in the darkness. I make the conscious choice to believe His truth regardless of what I see or feel.
The Truth is: I Am Not Alone
Lamentations 3:55-57
I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
When I am in the pit, all I have to do is call His Name and He is in the pit with me. He doesn’t expect me to climb out of the pit to get to Him; He comes to me.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
When I have no strength of my own, God offers me His strength. When I can’t stand on my own, He holds my hand.
The Truth is: His Light Wins
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There is no darkness strong enough to keep out God’s light. And when I’m holding onto Him in the middle of the pit, He surrounds me with His light.
It doesn’t matter if I can’t see it with my eyes, because I believe His Word is true. I trust that His light is burning away the darkness around me and within me. And I can cling to the light in His Word while I’m waiting for the light to show up in my circumstances.
Luke 1:78-79
“because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
When His light comes, it not only shows me that the darkness is temporary, it also shows me that there’s hope and a path out of the pit.
The Truth is: He Will Deliver Me
Psalm 40:1-2
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalm 30:1
I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Psalm 86:13
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
That’s what God does. That’s what Jesus did.
Deliverance from the pit of depression looks different for everyone.
Sometimes, He delivered me from the pit by bringing peace to my soul so that I could go to sleep. That rest was what my physical body needed and when I woke up, my soul was not as dark.
Sometimes, He delivered me from the pit by focusing my mind and heart on Him in prayer and thanksgiving, until I realized that the walls weren’t as tall and thick as they had been earlier.
But the hope of that deliverance is the same for all.
Ezekiel 34:12
As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
When depression tries to convince me that I’m alone and helpless, God’s Word tells me otherwise and gives me hope. And that hope gives me a foundation to stand on while I wait for His deliverance.
How has the light of God’s Word helped you when you were in the darkness of depression?
Photo Credit: Glavo
God's Word For Mental Health 