Depression will tell you lies: God doesn’t care. Life is hopeless. Nothing matters. But the Gospel is a message of hope and victory. You must beg God for grace and mercy to hear his word of truth over the noise of your depression. Fight to keep your mind on things above!
Request the booklet "Hope for the Depressed."
Sometimes I don’t even know my own heart, it is so wayward.
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada, and I know you remember the lines to that old hymn: “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it, Lord. Seal it for Thy courts above!” Wow. That right there perfectly describes my heart in its default mode. Constantly – even after all these years of knowing and following Christ – constantly, I’ve got to bend my heart toward God. I’ve got to bend it. I’ve got to keep its nose in Scripture; I’ve got to keep a watch on what my heart thinks and where it tries to meander off to. I’ve got to keep a close guard on my heart and maintain mastery over it. ’Cause I refuse to accept its laziness – ’cause it’s pretty lazy – or waywardness. No, I’ve got to constantly bring it into alignment, make my heart stand at attention when God says, “This is the way; walk ye in it!” Now I know I sound as though I’m constantly fighting with my heart, but that’s okay; ’cause it’s a good fight. It is a fight to keep my heart set on Christ, set on things above. And you want to know why I have to do this? Because if I don’t – if I allow my heart to ramble off on some detour from the paths of righteousness – I know it’s gonna take me down a dark hole. I know it. I’ll end up in a miry pit. And for me that means depression.
It’s a battle I’ve had lately because I am so, so weary of paralysis and pain. But I came across this great little book recently called “Hope for the Depressed” by Dr. Edward Welch, and man, it has helped strengthen my heart. It has helped open the eyes of my heart. It has helped unite my heart to keep pursuing the Lord, even when my disability feels overwhelming. And so if you are struggling with a wayward heart that’s prone to wander, I just know this little booklet would be of great help to you. Let me just quote part of what Dr. Welch says. He writes…
“Depression tries to tell us what is true and what isn’t. For example, it says that you will never feel any different, and can’t continue to live in such a condition. It says that God doesn’t care, and no one loves you. It tries to persuade you that nothing matters. Know, however, that depression lies! You have to tell it the truth, rather than listen to its interpretation of life. Do you remember times when you were grouchy and everything in the world looked horrible? Or that you [were so depressed] it colored your interpretation of other people? Our emotions are loud, but they do not tell the whole story. Turn toward God, and instead of listening to your depression, listen to what [God] says about himself. The center of his message to you is the Gospel… [and that is] that here on earth we can know that the King is with us and our suffering is only for a short while. We can also know that Jesus takes our suffering, which seems senseless, and makes it profitable in his kingdom. This is God’s message to you. Beg him for grace and mercy so you can hear it above the din of your depression.”
To me, that advice from Dr. Welch is so helpful. Because depression will tell lies. Your heart will easily deceive you. So I say to myself, “Joni, turn toward God; listen to what he says. Make this heart of yours sit up and pay attention. Hold it in check; don’t allow it to coddle unruly feelings that lead you astray.” Don’t forget to ask for your free copy of Dr. Ed Welch’s book on depression at joniradio.org. Bring your heart into alignment today with God. Do not listen to what your depression is trying to tell you, and I will see you later at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends