I was going through scripture memorization cards that are listed according to subject. They have several for “Depression” and they are pure gold! Every single one resonates in me and I hope as I go through them over the next couple of weeks, you will find hope in the One true Hope Giver, Jesus Christ. The first verses are from are from Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 1:8b-9: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”
Wow. I have felt the first half of those verses to my very core. Despair has been like dust in my mouth. It has been so tangible that I could barely breathe. But I have learned that it was allowed (not CAUSED by the Lord) and sometimes still is allowed so that my reliance on the Lord becomes stronger. This is so crucial because life is really hard sometimes. It can be crushing. But I will tell you from experience, the more I rely and learn to rely on Him, the easier it becomes to deal with the blows from the enemy.
Satan is always there to whisper lies in our ear, to use another human to hurt our heart, to tempt us with a weakness we have or to just straight out, shoot his flaming arrows at us with a huge test. But the Lord, He ALSO is always there! He is with us to speak truth, to heal our hurting heart, to give us strength to resist temptation and to quench Satan’s flaming arrows. So, while I just had a really rough week last week, I can tell you in truth, that the Lord used the trials of last week to strengthen my faith in Him and in that faith, I found comfort.
He reminded me that my joy is in Him….NOT in my circumstances! There truly can be joy….not always happiness, but joy, in the midst of trials. “THAT is impossible!” you may say. But if you can, even in baby steps, look for the Lord, listen for the Lord, eventually, you will get to the place of being able to take comfort from Him. You will then start to have the confidence in knowing that He will always be there to give you the helping Hand that you need.
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