Too Depressed? Trust and Have Faith in God 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.