Inspirations From The Mountains
August 24, 2009
Just recently I found myself trapped again in my black hole of depression. It’s like a prison from which I cannot escape without help. It happens without warning, and often I am there for several hours, sometimes days. My joy is gone. Everything seems hopeless. Only those who have been there can know the pain. How did I get there? Proverbs 12:25 tells me that “anxiety in the heart of man causes depression.”What am I anxious about? Probably the same things you are: wayward children, a barrage of bad news, bizarre weather patterns, incomprehensible crimes, corrupt politics, the crashing economy, immorality, greed, and the list goes on.
What do I do when I find myself in this prison? First of all I cry, “Oh God, I can’t bear this pain any longer! Take it away! I beg You!” So He has to remind me that if I am going to truly help others I must share their pain.
I cry, “But the pain is just too great, Lord. I can’t stand it any more. Please, just let me die.”
What does He say to me? “But Child, your work is not finished yet.” Then gently He reminds me of the last half of Proverbs 12:25--but a good word makes it glad. And I know what I must do.
I begin with His Word and the many promises I have underlined through the years that speak to my dilemma. Psalm 40:2-- He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. Psalm 30:5--Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Proverbs 17:22--A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Nehemiah 8:10 -- the joy of the Lord is your strength.
After spending some time in His Word and prayer, a light comes on. The prison bars slowly swing open and I scramble out of the pit. “I’m free! I’m free!
But the end is not yet. There are things I need to do to stay out of the pit: rejoice with my church family regularly, pray for others who suffer, give to a needy person, repent of my sins and forgive others. I must allow God to control my agenda because it frees me from anxiety. I must take time to laugh, have fun with family and friends, find a hobby, sing, listen to music, take a walk or dance a jig, and eat right to stay healthy. All these things help to make my life “hallelujah and amen” instead of “just let me die!” –Rebecca Somoskey
