“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in
secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who
summons you by name.” (Isaiah 45:3)
Children are wonderfully different.
When our son, Jered, was nine months old, he began to pull up on every piece of
furniture he could find. For weeks, he maneuvered his way around our home until
the day he took his first step alone. It was a step of inches, but we
celebrated as if he had completed a marathon. On the other hand, our daughter,
Danna, had a different plan. She never pulled up on a piece of furniture and
never took “a” step. When she was ten months old, Danna stood up, looked around
and trotted across the room. Jered and Danna both walk extremely well today as
young adults, but they both began with tiny steps and in their own way.
Nobody gets depressed overnight and
nobody overcomes depression overnight. The journey out of the pit is a process
of steps uniquely planned by your Father. Let’s look at some of the steps we
must take in order to find our way out of the dark.
(1) Wait. The psalmist simply says, ’I waited.’ Waiting
is not passive. Waiting is a time of preparation, a time of rest and healing, a
time when God covers us with the shadow of His wing. To wait means to accept
the pit.
Isaiah 45:3 is a compelling verse.
..Any time the word, LORD is capitalized, it means ‘Father’ or ‘Dearest Daddy.’
This verse indicates that our Father has gone before us and, in every dark
moment or painful circumstance, has buried a treasure or stored a secret. The
only way we can find the treasure or learn the secret is to pass through that
darkness. Some things cannot be learned in the light. The pit of depression has
become a hedge of protection in my life, a warning light that something is
wrong or out of balance. To wait means to accept the pit, knowing it is for our
good. To wait means to admit there is a problem. Isaiah 40:29 ‘He gives power
to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak.’
We must be willing to admit we are
struggling, but pride often prevents us from doing so. Emotional health begins
at the point of emotional integrity, being willing to say “I need help!” and
being honest with ourselves and with others. When clinical depression first
overwhelmed my life, my husband, Dan, was the pastor of a large, fast-growing
church in South Florida. We could choose to be transparent and real or we could
sweep my struggle under the rug. We concluded that to be right, we had to be
real. Dan and I shared my battle with the staff, the deacons and then with the
entire church. Yes, we took a risk but
learned an important lesson in doing so. A shared load is a lighter load
because we were created to need each other.
To
wait means to be still. ‘I waited.’ To wait means to hope in and look for
someone or something who will rescue us.
So much about God can never be known
on the run. We can get so wrapped up in everyday life that we fail to be
wrapped up in Him. The busier we are, the more stillness and rest we need.
During those two years in the pit, I not only gave up every role of leadership
in church, I could not even attend church at times because of panic attacks.
The Father taught me an important truth. He is more concerned with who I am
than what I do.
(2) Cry out for help. Psalm 40:1 “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and
heard my cry.”
People struggling with depression often look
for help in the wrong places. Let me share with you some of the right places. God, Your Father stands waiting to hear
your voice; and when you cry out to Him, He comes running – through His Word,
through prayer and through His people. There was a terrible storm and the
little girl was afraid. When she cried out in fear, her father came running
down the hall, into the bedroom and scooped her up in his arms as he said, ‘Honey,
God will take care of you.’ The tearful child replied, ‘I know God loves me and
will take care of me but right now, I need somebody with skin on.’ If you cry
out to God, He will come to you in some way.
Doctors
and counselors.
Proverbs 15:22 gives us an important truth when it says, ‘Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many
counselors bring success.’ I encourage anyone experiencing depression to
get a physical because depression is often rooted in a physical problem,
requiring medication. The medication does not eliminate the depression but
simply levels the playing field so whatever is triggering the depression can be
addressed. Christian counselors are a gift from God. He knew we would need
them.
Others. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 instructs us to ‘encourage each other and give each other strength.’ I would never have survived the pit of clinical
depression without the help and encouragement of family and friends. Members of
our church brought meals, cleaned house and helped take care of our kids. The deacons were guardian angels at church
and other women took my place in leadership. I would still be in that pit if it
were not for these people who helped rescue me. Has it affected their opinion
of me? Yes! It has shown them that I am just like them and has given them
permission to face their own weaknesses. You may be thinking, ‘I have no one in
my life that will help me.’ If you cry out to God, He will bring you help.” (More in another post: Part 3 of Coming Out of the Dark 1/29/12
CHRIST NEEDS A HUMAN: Prayer Note # 17
Some titles to come:
COMING OUT OF THE DARK PART 3
THE HEAVENLY PATTERN
HEAVENLY PRAYER LANGUAGE
A HOLY GHOST FACE LIFT
THE BEAUTY OF ROMANTIC LOVE
