War Cry - April, 2013 Page 15

The War Cry | APRIL 2013

driven me away and made me
walk in darkness and not in light"
(Lam. 3:1-2).

Beneath the heavy layers of sad-

ness, depressed Christians still be-
lieve that their Redeemer lives (Job
19:25) and that His daily provision
of mercies will help them to survive
(Lam. 3:22-23).

Be quick to listen and slow to

speak. One Sunday when Rachel
let down her guard and shared her
feelings with someone at church, the
woman stared at her and offered a
response that was void of empathy:
"Things can't be that bad."

Another woman brushed aside

Rachel's words and offered her tes-
timony of endurance through hard
times. Then she concluded, "I just
praise God when I'm down and
choose not to focus on the negative."

When she heard the word depres-

sion, she, like many other people,
saw it as the work of the devil.

Depression creates an awkward-

ness that leaves us searching for
causes and solutions. But offering
those, even with good intentions,
discounts the feelings of the de-
pressed person. In speaking before
we listen, we inflict more hurt.

A sensitive friend of Rachel's fol-

lowed the advice in James 1:19: "Be
quick to hear ... [and] slow to speak"
(1:19). Every week after Bible study,
she hugged my sister and asked how
she was doing, then quietly listened.
She didn't analyze or recommend a
remedy. "I'm praying for you," this
friend said. One day she ventured a
step further and asked Rachel, "Do
you ever feel that God has deserted
you? I've had times like that." Identi-
fying with Rachel's burden forged
a deeper trust.

Make your prayers support-

ive. When Rachel first drifted into
depression, I boldly believed God
would heal her. A compassionate
God wouldn't want His child to suf-

fer such mental torture, would He?
I claimed scads of Scriptures, like
Jeremiah 32:27: "Behold, I am the
Lord, the God of all flesh; is any-
thing too difficult for Me?" But when
Rachel's depression worsened, I
thought God had met His match.

Eventually, however, I viewed

God's denials to my requests as a re-
direction of my prayers. Though some
are healed of depression, Rachel
would not be. But she could survive.

So I prayed for coping skills, that

her doctors would find the right
combination of cognitive therapy
and medications. On her bad days, I
asked God to be real to her, to show
His presence on the dark sea (Mark
6:45-51). I prayed that Rachel would
know that God identifies with her
depression. In her affliction, He, too,
is afflicted (Isaiah 63:9).

God has answered these prayers.

Rachel has accepted her depression

as a lifelong battle that forces her to
depend on God. Her doctors teach
her skills to discipline her thoughts
and moods, and antidepressants
keep her brain chemicals in balance.
Rachel is showing me that God's
power isn't shown only in healing,
but in making our worst weakness
strong (2 Cor. 12:10).

In the boat. Rachel's depres-

sion has changed us. But it's been a
good change, forging a deeper bond
between us. I've left the shore and
climbed into the boat with her. To-
gether we row on the endless dark sea,
locked in a rhythm of love and faith.

We're not alone. Beside us sits

the Man of Sorrows, gripping the
oars and rowing when our strength
is gone. A few friends have climbed
inside as well. And from where I sit,
there's plenty room for more.

Lynne Miller lives in Denver, CO.

Photo iStockphoto

10-16, 21-23 Challenging_WCApr13_FINrv2.indd 15

3/14/13 2:41 PM