I am sometimes asked if I ever get depressed; well, yeah! It is human nature to deal with the soulish elements of our humanity. Several times in the Old Testament God tells Moses to step aside while he wipes out rebellious Israel, God gets angry. The Old Testament prophet Elijah flees to a cave fearing his life. He cries out to God a “Woe is me,” prayer because (in his mind) he is the only one left that fears God, he is depressed. There are many Psalms of David in the Old Testament where David expresses his fear, despair, and depression. In the New Testament, Jesus cries out to his Father in despair for the cup of God’s wrath to be taken away from him, he is battling anguish. Emotional struggles are a normal part of life.
The difference is the way the emotions are handled. Fallen human nature will give-in to the emotional feeling, often agreeing with it. This too is a challenge for the Christ-follower, because we serve a God that is not seen. This means that trust must be in place to accept what we often cannot see. Trust, that works hand-in-hand with faith (the belief and assurance that God is, and God will do what he says) enables the Christ-follower to challenge the emotional temptation.
This is important because this must be done devoid of feelings, at a time when “feelings” are driving you toward the depression, or guilt, or anger, or whatever it might be. A close personal relationship with the godhead builds trust in the same a physical relationship is built with another human being. But, trust alone is not enough; faith must also be present.
The difference between the two is similar but different. Trust is a clam assurance based on experience; while faith is the belief he (God) will take care of this—also based on experience. In other words, God, I trust you to take care of this, because in the past when there was no way in the world, you made it happen.
Once trust and faith are working in the Christ follower’s life, the next important element must go to work; the word must be spoken. In the Old Testament, God spoke the word and Moses acted on it; David spoke the word, and God acted on it. The Bible says that the human tongue contains death or life, it is our choice which one is spoken. Fallen humanity speaks death because that is what happens to a life without God. Religion speaks death because that is what happens to a life without a relationship with God. Christ-followers learn to speak life because it is the plan and purpose of God.
So, the very long answer to the “do I ever get depressed” question is yes, but I do not let it have its way for very long. I begin to speak the word of God—devoid of “feeling” it—because I know that life is in my tongue; so I choose to speak life into my life. I trust God because of the many times he has come through for me. I exercise faith because His word tells me that nothing is too big, difficult, or impossible for him to handle. I may not have experienced his hand moving on this level, so I rely on the level I have experienced.
It is a journey that starts with the first step—baby steps. It reminds me of a line in a movie where a man attempting to change is told to take baby steps, baby steps. It is the same with a close personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The Old Testament speaks of Samuel the prophet’s journey. As a small child, he was brought to the temple to be raised by the priests. It isn’t until he is a young man that God speaks to him—even then, Samuel did not recognize his voice. It is a journey with paths—not super highways—to walk down—no express route available.
This journey starts with trust and continues with faith. The word of God must be read and understood long before it can be spoken as life. This is not a magical journey with mythical shortcuts; no, it is a slow determined journey with many uncertain twists and turns. The beauty of the twists and turns is the trust and faith they build. They provide opportunities to test the word of God as it is spoken.