God's Work Through Depression

Recently I began writing what I thought would be an article I would submit to some local magazines. I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to address what God has taught me over my thirty-nine years. It all centers on depression and difficult circumstances. Funny I thought it would all fit into a small article. I now find myself writing yet another book. Here's an excerpt from the first chapter. I hope it brings you comfort and insight.

God's Work Through Depression

When faced with depression we often ask ourselves, “What is wrong with me?” I’ve come to understand that as a believer such a question is too simple, too hopeless. With an understanding of who God is and how He works the question should be restated as, “How can God use this to mold me and to glorify Himself?” When we begin to see depression as a tool in the hand of the Master, we can lean into the struggle and work with Him to bring about His masterpiece.

You see, trials, struggles, and pain do not have to destroy us. They can be used to aid us in our spiritual growth and maturity. When we grasp this truth, we can cease trying to relieve ourselves of the pain and learn instead how to master it, using it to cause us to be more in tune with and more aware of God’s activity in our lives.

One of the most quoted verses in the New Testament is Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28 NKJ) I can hear you quoting it from memory. You probably didn’t even have to read the verse did you? Now focus on this verse with me. The verse says that all things work together for good; not some things, not most things, but all things. I would have to conclude that depression would fall under the category of all things.

So we can be safe in saying, “depression works together for good.” I can hear the cringes of some of you. I’ll probably even read some very frustrated emails. Unfortunately many of us are convinced that God would never allow bad things into our lives. It’s blasphemy to think He would willingly allow us to hurt! Is it? Is it really? Let’s look at several Bible figures to see if this is true.

Genesis 45 brings about the climax in the life of a man named Joseph. He had experienced betrayal, slavery, false accusations, imprisonment, and being forgotten. He was hated by his brothers, accused of rape, and left in prison, forgotten by those who promised to help him. Yet, through all of this he leaned into God and continued to serve him. He did not rebel or give up. And as we pull back the curtain on this forty-fifth chapter of Genesis we see that his life has improved. Joseph has journeyed from the pit of despair to being second in command over Egypt. And now, as h e encounters his brothers, Joseph looks back over all he had endured and says, “So now it was not you (his brothers through their betrayal) who sent me here, but God.” (Genesis 45:8a NKJ) Do you remember how he got to Egypt? He was sold as a slave by his own family! Yet it wasn’t his family that brought him to Egypt but God! Later Joseph tells his brothers, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20 NKJ)

You see, what we deem to be unnecessary or even bad, God is using for our benefit. He is also using it for the benefit of others. He is building us into strong yet dependent believers - people who can walk through fire and come through such trials without even the smell of smoke. Which brings me to three young Hebrew men. We find their story in the third chapter of Daniel. We almost exclusively refer to them by their Babylonian names - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Those young men, though, were first named by their loving parents. Of Hebrew birth, they were given names that revealed the character of their God. Shadrach was originally named Hananiah, Meshach had been Mishael, and Abed-Nego carried the name Azariah before his captivity in Babylon. However, in their early teens these three boys were taken from their homes, their families, and all that was familiar to them and carried away to Babylon. Their they lost all their rights and freedoms as they became servants to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I am sure we all would consider such a life event to be devastating to say the lease. Yet these young men refused to allow fear and uncertainty to master their behaviors or their faith in God. Instead they drew closer to Him and determined to remain faithful to Him no matter their feelings or their circumstances. Surely God would honor this!

But things took a turn for the worse. Day after day they watched as a large image was built nearby. Understanding the ways of their captors Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego knew this statue was not a benign presence. They understood the image was being erected for the sole purpose of worship. The day came when they were commanded to worship the statue or face a painful death by being burned alive. Why would God allow this terrible thing to happen to these men who had remained faithful to Him? What could their deaths possibly prove?

Ah! But God’s plan was to use this seemingly useless struggle to prove Himself faithful. If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego had not determined to worship only their God, had they not been forced into the furnace of fire, they would not have experienced the very essence of God’s faithfulness. Nebuchadnezzar would never have realized that the God of these Hebrews was greater and stronger than any false god in Babylon! However, that is not all that was accomplished during this fiery trial. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were promoted to prominent positions within the kingdom giving them more influence and more opportunities to make God known to pagan Babylonians. Our trials similarly have an effect. When we lean into God, trusting His sovereignty, we grow in Him. Others see our trials and acknowledge God’s faithfulness. And, we are promoted in our faith, moving from the faith of a newborn babe to the faith of a mature believer.

So, does God allow painful often confusing situations to come into our lives? Indeed. Has He allowed you and I to wrestle with depression? I have to say yes. In His sovereignty God has ultimate control over what situations touch us. He filters what touches our lives. He determines how it can be used for His glory and our growth.