The 'Jesus Calling' devotional today claims: 'Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression and self-pity.' Will the golden cord of hope bear the weight of your despair? Can hope in Jesus really overcome depression? I believe there is reason to think so. I can affirm from my own experience that hope brought me out of a troubled time in my life.
Nearly three years ago, right after I moved from Hawaii to San Diego, I experienced a 'dark night of the soul.' Near my birthday in March, I started feeling disconnected from the world around me. I had no friends in the area. I wasn't reading my Bible. I had stopped going to church. I lost my sense of purpose. My days were almost surreal. Other people seemed happy ... but why? Life seemed meaningless.
Thankfully this period of depression was short-lived. I connected with old friends. I began attending a good church again. I found new purpose and direction for my life. I started to hope that tomorrow would be better than today. Jesus led me out of that spiritual desert to a place of refreshing water and tender care.
Depression is often a soul-sickness. Despair may mean we've forgotten that Jesus offers all the help we need. Purposelessness can be the result of losing our connection to God.
If you struggle with depression, try looking outside of yourself ... to Jesus and to friends. Focus on others: find a way to serve someone else. Believe that Jesus is only a prayer away. Start reading the Psalms. Be encouraged by Romans 15:13, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You can find a purpose for your life again if you trust God to supply it.You can overcome depression if you ask Jesus to give you hope.
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