Too Depressed? Trust and Have Faith in God

6/07/2019 , 67 Comments

Christians and Depression in the Bible

Unfavorable or unpleasant things that happen in life, like the loss of a loved one, the acquisition of a serious and incurable disease, financial problem, etc., if not managed properly, are believed to be contributory in increasing a person’s vulnerability to depression.

People who succumbed to depression usually manifest pessimism, a feeling of sadness and emptiness, and a very low self-esteem which sometimes lead to hurting themselves, and worst, committing suicide. No wonder we often hear stories of people who, despite their being rich and famous, committed suicide because of depression. They put an end to their lives because they thought that suicide, or death, is their only escape from the deep despair that they experience.

But a CHRISTIAN, who is a faithful servant of GOD, will never suffer from depression. Because of FAITH, a Christian can overcome all kinds of depression and all anxieties in life.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition) tells us,

6 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Surely, you are familiar with the story of Lazarus, a beggar who experienced all kinds of hardships in his lifetime. Maybe he had lots of worries, too. He had no money; he had nothing to eat; he had no home of his own; he was denied of all the material things in life.

LUKE 16:20-22 (King James Version) says,

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.

Death is inevitable. Regardless of whether you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, you are decreed to die. A person’s honor and prestige would not exempt him from dying. The Bible tells us that death is a part of the will of God to man.

HEBREWS 9:27 (King James Version) says,

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Our life on earth has an end; we will all die. But the Bible tells us that there is another life that is to come – there is eternal life.

And maybe, Lazarus knew all about it that was why he did not mind all the anxieties in life. Remember, aside from lacking in material things, Lazarus also suffered physical pain because he was full of sores, and the dogs were even licking those sores. All these he endured until his death. There is no record that would tell us that his sufferings were alleviated. He died with sores, he died a beggar, and he died unfortunate.

But Lazarus believed in God; he had faith in God. That was why, when he died, he was carried by the angels into the bosom of Abraham. Meaning, he will have an eternal life in paradise, just like one of the thieves that was crucified together with our Lord Jesus Christ. He, too, was promised by Christ of the comfort in paradise.

LUKE 23:42-43 (King James Version)

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Our story does not end here on earth. If you worry about dying, then, depression will creep in to your system. But if you will look at death from a different perspective, you will even prepare for it and you will not find difficulty in accepting it because it is appointed unto men once to die.

Age is not always a factor in death. There are people who died at the prime of their life like John the Baptist who died when he was about 33 or 34 years old; likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ was a little more than 30 years old when He died.

However, there is something about dying that we must understand.

ISAIAH 57:1 (King James Version) says,

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

If you are a righteous person God will cause your death. God, who knows everything, is a loving and merciful God. He may take your life earlier than the others in order to spare you of the evil that is to come upon you later on. So, if, for instance, you had been diagnosed of an incurable illness and you had been told that you would not live very long, accept it because it is the will of our Creator. God did not intend us to live on earth forever. He promised us a paradise, a very beautiful place of peace and tranquility, where we could live eternally with Him and with the Lord Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, if you are an earthly person and you think only about the things on earth, death is something that could cause you disgust and anxiety. But let us not forget what God said in the book of Philippians, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” 

The peace of God passes the understanding of physicians, surgeons, doctors who told you that your days are numbered. If you trust in God you will be free from anxieties and you will not entertain any suicidal thoughts.

Dying, with the readiness to face your Creator, is like graduating from a university with honors. If you are a believer of God and Christ, dying is just like finishing a course. Therefore, it is something that we should not fear. According to the Bible, To die in Christ is to live forever.

We will all die. I know that it is something that many people would not find easy to accept. But that is in the Bible.

ECCLESIASTES 9:5 (King James Version) says,

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

All living men have a foreboding that, one day, they will die. But we should not allow that fear of death to govern and control our whole being. We will die when God wills us to die. The Lord Jesus Christ guaranteed that in MATTHEW 10:29 (KJV) which says,

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father?

If the sparrows will not die without the will of the Father, how much more are the humans who are more important than those small birds! Human beings, like us, are very important to God. In MARK 8:36 the Lord Jesus Christ said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (KJV) Meaning, the whole world is not enough for you to save your soul, and your soul is much more important than the whole world.

Not one of us will die without the will or the consent of the Father.

Let us not preoccupy our minds with the thoughts of death. Instead, let us preoccupy ourselves with what is coming after death. It will give us peace of mind and heart if we die in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians and servants of God really experience sufferings but they neither suffer from depression nor think about hurting themselves or committing suicide.

JOB, for instance, suffered tremendously but he never got depressed. He accepted his fate wholeheartedly even when his wife was already ridiculing him for remaining steadfast in his faith in God.

JOB 2:9-10 (King James Version) says,

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

In another verse, JOB 1:21 (KJV), this is what Job said:

And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Whatever happens to us let us not put the blame on God. Let us always believe that He is a compassionate God. If you believe that you are a child of God, believe also that He truly cares about you. God cares for us more than we care for ourselves.

Related article: The Secret in Fighting Depression

67 comments:

  1. Beautifully written. Thanks be to God bro Eli.

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  2. A Christian will still feel sad and depressed but because of his faith and trust in GOD, he will overcome it because according to Mr. Controversy, "GOD care for us more than we care for ourselves."

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  3. Amen, God us bigger than all of the world's problems combined.

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  4. Glory be to God. This is worth reading

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  5. I was moved. Thanks be to God..

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  6. Depression doesnt affect christians

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  7. A million thanks to God that striking love letters from our Creator trully make sense plus the reiterations sustained thru His sent messengers may the Good LOrd penetrates the hearth and mind of our fellows throughout the globe. Godbless us all

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  8. just found myself crying while reading..a very nice blog..thanks be to God

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  9. Very timely, thanks be to God for this words of encouragement ��
    Sharing this blog to my friends, and may God enlighten and guide their minds and hearts in facing hardships in life like how Christians do ��

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  10. Thanks be to God for this very helpful topic ☺

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  11. casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

    1 Peter 5:7
    English Standard Version (ESV)

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  12. To God Be the Glory, forever!!!

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  13. A must to read in this time where people tend to think about lots of things.
    Thanks be to God.

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  14. Praise be to God to highest.. l love you with all my heart and soul..I sing, praise, joy happy with you my Dear Master of my entire life in earth and in heaven i love love love...you my faithful God..Amen..

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  15. That's true only God can understand and heal our problem. We need to trust him and pray all about our problem because God is have a power to give the solution and for good in our self.

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  16. what ever happens to us or you having a depression, surrender it in god he helps you to overcome that kind of pain in your life. always believe and pray to god because god is always there for us.

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  17. If you are suffering right now and feeling alone.God is there for you. It will end soon and there will be good things will happen to you.Always remember that in every rain there's always be a rainbow.

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  18. The death, we will experience if God wants because our life's are borrowed if the time God wants bring back our life he get it. Therefore we must need to be happy always because life is short, and this is not intend of God to live us forever in Earth. Be ready and don't be scared in death because the change of our death is long life forever in the Paradise said of God. Other said if your time it's your time therefore some people comes into Depression because they thinking what will happened if they are in dead.

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  19. As I read, the story is about the person undergoing depression. Comes to the point that a depressed person attempts to commit suicide, because he feels that everyone does not like him, losing everything and so on. But if a person believes in God it does not go through depression and all anxieties in life. Because God knows everything and when someone dies, he also decides what will happen to your fate or future.

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  20. yeah he is the only one you can ask for a help. even in a hard situations just trust him forever.

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  21. I am suffering from bipolar disorder certified by a psychiatrist. How does the bible explain the relentless feeling of depression and mood swings of a patient?

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  22. Depression says that you are alone and that you should act that way. But that is not true. God is with you, and He calls you to reach out to someone who will listen, care, and pray for you.

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  23. That's true, because he is the only one who's always there no matter what.

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  24. Depression is for those who does not read this blog and cannot accept the biblical truth....hehehe

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  25. Having faith in God is the best way to save our life, because when you have faith in God, you will always belive that he will not neglect us even if we have sins to him. Always trust in God because God is also trust us.

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  26. For me, whatever you go through you will always think that God is for you.

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  27. thats true we need to trust him and prayall about our problem

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  28. Too Depressed? Trust and Have Faith in God , God only the called other if problem and always believe and pray t god because god is always there for us .

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  29. Don't be of afraid of death, think of what will happen after death instead. When you feel like you're depressed, you should ask help to Him in order to become stronger and have strength to fight your fears.

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  30. When you're depress, always pray and have faith in god. Always trust his plan because his plan is always better that ours.

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  31. If you feel Depressed just pray because Pray is the best solution to connect in God and open your Bible and read it , God is always there for you God has a plan for you stop looking down your self because you have a purpose and you have a wonderful destiny with him trust in the Lord with all your heart always in Proverbs 3:5 …….God blesss

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  32. I am a Christian who I experienced in depression.I relate to that why? it is true because the text say a CHRISTIAN, who is a faithful servant of God, will never suffer from depression. Because of FAITH, a Christian can overcome all kinds of depression and all anxieties in life.
    that is if you trust god thru god talga nothing is impossible

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  33. Depression is killing me sometimes but if you puts god in ourself nothing is imposible because god heal us for the depression

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  34. God is always with you no matter what happen. Whatever happens to us let us not put the blame on God because God cares for us more than we care for ourselves.

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  35. depressed come to your life remember god is always their for you to help, god is never give up

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  36. Thanks for the encouragement that the Lord gave us. Some of the people who actually facing more stuggles in life leads them to be depressed. They thought that they can't do anything. No one is there to comfort. The solution that they can think is commiting suicide. But if you have faith in God there will be no anxiety. We all going to be die. Instead of taking it negatively, you must imagine the eternal life after death and the beautiful paradise that is waiting for you.

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  37. Very inspiring to see the important of our lives
    Problems is not the end of our lives it's always on the will of our creator our lovely God

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  38. Whenever problems or depressions comes to our life, there is God to guide and help us. Commiting suicide is not the key to solve our problems. When we experience depression, all we have to do is pray and trust the God no matter what.

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  39. depression is problem of our world but if you have a god ,depression is nothing make them spread wisdom of god not depression in ourself

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  40. If you are depressed you dont need to hurt yourself ot to commit suicide because killing yourself is not a solution or good idea to escape your deep despair what experience it is a sin and it can make yourself a miserable. We only need is to believe in God. That he is a compassionate God and believe that we are a child of God and he truly care about you. God care for us more than you care for ourself.

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  41. If you are experiencing depression, always remember that God is here even if your feeling alone. God is giving us stuggles in life for us to be stronger and tougher the next time you encounter these conflicts.Instead of taking it negatively, think the beautiful paradise after life.

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  42. never forget to help the lord and trust always remember God will not give us trouble in life if we can not survive

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  43. God is with us always and promises to never leave us nor forsake us. Depression is an everyday battle, and more people need to be aware of it. But always remember that God is always with us. We just have to believe and he will never let us down.

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  44. Nothing is impossible trust God everything happened for a reason if you feel empty talk to God , God is with you always🤗

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  45. Yes every people experience a lot of bad things in their life, but when in comes to a problem we need to have faith and entrust our life to God. We could pray for it for us to have strength to face those problems or challenges we face everyday. Be courageous we can't face our problems with our own we need the guidance come from our God.

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  46. God can changed your life! Suicide is not the answer. Prayer is the answer. God is with you. all the time. He will help you to overcome all the things that you are going through. God always loves you, remember that. Just pray, and he will listen.

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  47. Everybody have a problem and cause of this problem is depression because of this many people get suicide but if you believe that we have a god he will solve your problem you should fight your problem and do not affect your problems just always pray him and believe that god is always with you no matter what happend.

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  48. Lazarus a beggar who experienced all kinds of hardships in his lifetime
    But if your are rich or poor person and a person’s honor and prestige would not exempt him from dying.

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  49. Thanks be to God. I felt blessed instantly after reading this article. To God be the glory!

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  50. The Bible gives many examples of people experiencing depression, darkness and even frustration with God. He isn’t angered by honest words – He deems them holy. God wants our relationships with Him to be authentic. His mercy reigns even in our brokenness.

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  51. Very timely Bro Eli! Thanks be unto God!

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  52. Thanks be to God a wonderful messeges it realese me from anxiety, it goes deep in my heart and it feels warm that heal my broken soul.

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  53. Thanks be to God. Since the time I was baptize in the MCGI, that was the time that I was relief cause I am not afraid to die in the will of God. Thanks be to God.

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  54. Thanks be to God! Since I was baptized in this true church - MCGI, that was the time that I could say that I am not afraid to die, in the will of God. During indoctrination, part of my prayers was may He allow me to live even just until my baptism day. And now He is still giving me a life to live. Thank God for this life that I can use to serve Him and to help the needy with all of my given strength. To God be the glory!

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  55. Salamat sa Dios, nakakagaan sa loob makabasa neto. Malaki nagagawa ng pagtitiwala sa Dios at pag daing sa kanya. Pati sa gantong mababasa. To God be the glory!

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  56. Please pray for my Nerve Disorder to finally go away... God bless you in return.

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  57. Thanks be to God for this Inspiring Blog Bro. Eli. One of my prayers is your safety and good Health and also to meet you in person 🙏🙏

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  58. Salamat po sa Dios sa isang tulad mo💚💚

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  59. Thanks be to God for these very inspiring messages from the Bible! Glory to God, our father, through His son Jesus Christ our savior..

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  60. salamat sa Dios for this inspiring blog.Im edified by His words. Phil 4:6-7

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