I have been deep in the dark valley of depression for the past three months or so. I believe it was caused by an accumulation of things, dealing with loss ( my brother's death, and those of three students, two dear friends, and three people in my church) and stress caused by work and life.
During this period, I was in God's word everyday and crying out for relief from the deep sadness and discouragement engulfed me. I prayed that He would help me honor Him through it all and help me find the way through. I was relentlessly bombarded by my depressed feelings.
This past Sunday my pastor preached on Ephesians 1:2 and Jeremiah 29:10-14. I desperately needed to hear both sermons. They were God's answers to my prayers. Through my pastor, God's instrument of choice, I was reminded that God's grace is indeed available and sufficient to meet my needs each moment of each day. My Father has given me the peace of God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I knew all of this in my head, but I had forgotten to appropriate it by faith. I had allowed my depressed feelings to run roughshod over me, instead of appropriating God's Truth by faith. From Jeremiah 29, God reminded me that He had a plan and a purpose for me and that I needed to remember Him and seek Him with my whole heart each day. Feelings were not meant to rule my life; Truth was. I thank God for His answers to my prayers and for His reminder that feelings must follow faith as I anchor myself every day to God and His Truth. Praise be to the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us grace and peace.
During this period, I was in God's word everyday and crying out for relief from the deep sadness and discouragement engulfed me. I prayed that He would help me honor Him through it all and help me find the way through. I was relentlessly bombarded by my depressed feelings.
This past Sunday my pastor preached on Ephesians 1:2 and Jeremiah 29:10-14. I desperately needed to hear both sermons. They were God's answers to my prayers. Through my pastor, God's instrument of choice, I was reminded that God's grace is indeed available and sufficient to meet my needs each moment of each day. My Father has given me the peace of God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I knew all of this in my head, but I had forgotten to appropriate it by faith. I had allowed my depressed feelings to run roughshod over me, instead of appropriating God's Truth by faith. From Jeremiah 29, God reminded me that He had a plan and a purpose for me and that I needed to remember Him and seek Him with my whole heart each day. Feelings were not meant to rule my life; Truth was. I thank God for His answers to my prayers and for His reminder that feelings must follow faith as I anchor myself every day to God and His Truth. Praise be to the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us grace and peace.
