When you are in a wilderness of suffering – feeling isolated and lost – choose the road of faith. Keep following Jesus, even if he feels distant. He has walked that wilderness himself, and he will be your guide back to healing and hope!
Request the booklet "Hope for the Depressed."
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada with something special I’d like to give you today.
And it’s a great booklet by my friend Dr. Edward Welch, and it’s called “Hope for the Depressed.” And I love most anything Ed Welch writes – ’cause he’s with the Christian Counseling Education Foundation – and this booklet of his is such a blessing. And I’d like to give it to you, and you can get your free copy at joniradio.org. So let me share a few paragraphs to whet your appetite, okay? Dr. Welch starts off this way; he says, “Throughout history God has taken his people out into the wilderness, and [when you are suffering] you are in a wilderness.”
Okay, right there, he’s got me, right? Because there are times when suffering has me in such a wilderness. And if it’s really bad, if the pain unusually hard, then man, I’m in uncharted territory. A place I’ve never been before. Nothing’s familiar; nothing feels reliable. The pain remedies I’ve tried before don’t work in this wilderness; there’s no path to follow. My suffering then feels like a desert, a wasteland. Like, “Is anybody out here? Does anybody hear me? Am I really all alone in this?!” Okay, so let that set the scene, and now let me get back to the book, ’cause Dr. Welch continues; he says…
“The journey in the wilderness is intended, in part, to reveal what is in our hearts, and to teach us to trust God in both good times and hard times. Why does he do this? To show us those things that are most important. Don’t forget that God takes his children into the wilderness. He even led his only Son into the wilderness. We shouldn’t be surprised if he takes us there as well.
“While you are in the wilderness what are you seeing in your own heart? How are you relating to God? Do you avoid him? Ignore him? Get angry at him? Do you act as though he is very far away and too busy with everything else to attend to your suffering? Are you frustrated that God is powerful enough to end your suffering but he hasn’t? In your depression, let God reveal your heart. You might find spiritual issues that contribute to or even cause your depression.”
Then Dr. Welch sums it up this way. He says, “Which path will you choose in this wilderness? You are on one of two roads. The road to faith or [the road to] isolated independence. On the road of faith you are seeking and following God. You are calling out to him. You don’t understand what’s happening, but you have not lost sight that Jesus Christ is good. On the other path, you have no hope. Life feels meaningless, and you feel God doesn’t care.”
Well, friend, right there I know the answer. Man, when I am in a wilderness of suffering, I want to choose the road to faith. I do not want to stay at an arms-length distance from God. When you’re depressed or discouraged, where can we turn to but to the Lord? Jesus is the only one who’s got words of life. And let me say, you will find many more words of life in this little booklet by Dr. Welch called “Hope for the Depressed.” It’s encouraging, it’s inspiring, and it will lead you up and out of your wasteland of discouragement. And take heart. Jesus your Savior has walked that wilderness himself with you, and he will be your best guide back to health, healing, and hope. So come on, today, ask for your free copy of Dr. Ed Welch’s book at joniradio.org, where I sure do love sharing hope in your hardship. Again, it’s a free gift for you today at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends