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Understanding Depression

“Wow! Get a load of those onion rings,” Megan announced as the waitress placed their order on the table. She untwisted a few of the fried goodies from the tower of golden-brown treats and lathered them with ketchup.

“Pastor Steve . . . I can’t help but ask . . . why do you know so much about depression?”

“I’ve been through it, Natalie.”

“I don’t get it,” Megan said. “You’re our youth pastor! How could you have been depressed? And Natalie can’t be depressed; she’s a Christian!”

Pastor Steve smiled as he reached for some onion rings. “Depression has nothing to do with being a Christian, Megan. Depression isn’t a spiritual thing. You get the flu, don’t you?”

“Sure.”

“Does that mean you’re not a Christian?”

“No.”

“Then why would depression mean you’re not a Christian?”

“Well . . . I just think if Jesus is really Lord of our lives, we won’t get depressed,” Megan said.

“Will we still get the flu?” Pastor Steve continued as he reached for his float to wash down the onion rings.

“Sure, but — ”

“Depression is an illness, Megan. Anyone can experience it — whether he’s a Christian or not. The advantage of having Christ in our lives, though, is that He understands depression and wants to help us through it.”

“But I can’t figure out why I’m depressed, Pastor Steve! No one in my family has died. I have a good life. My parents love me. I have terrific friends.”

“Natalie, depression isn’t always due to outward situations. Sometimes it’s because of a chemical imbalance in the brain.”

“Does that mean I’m crazy?” she asked.

Pastor Steve chucked as he reached for more onion rings. “No, Nat. You’re not crazy. But sometimes the chemicals in our brains can get a little off-whack. And when that happens, we can become depressed.”

“So am I gonna feel this desperate for the rest of my life?”

“I don’t think so. The good news is that depression is treatable,” Pastor Steve explained. “I encourage you to see your family doctor and tell him what you’re feeling.”

“What if they lock me up and put me in a hospital?”

“I’d come visit you, Natalie!” Megan said.

“I seriously doubt that’s going to happen, girls. But a doctor can prescribe anti-depressants and Christian counseling. And you’ll be amazed at the difference that will make in how you feel.”

“And God won’t be mad at me?” Natalie said.

“No way!” Pastor Steve continued. “God loves you, Natalie. He wants to help you through this. And He often uses people to do that. Sometimes he even works through medication. You really need to make an appointment with your family physician.”

“I’ll do it, Pastor Steve. Anything to quit feeling so desperate and hopeless. You know? In a way, I’m relieved. I was beginning to think I was looney, because I didn’t know what was happening. But now that we’ve labeled it, and I know God is still with me, I feel better!”

Know It!
Battling tough issues doesn’t mean God has left us.

Read It!
Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Psalm 27:10; Psalm 37:5; Hebrews 13:5.

Pray It!
Lord, thanks for Your promise to see me through the tough times. It’s such a comfort to know You’ll never forsake me — no matter how confused or desperate I feel.

The Center of the Bible

Did you know?

• The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117.
• The longest chapter in the Bible in Psalm 119.
• The very center of the Bible is marked with chapter Psalm 118.
• There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118.
• There are 594 chapters after Psalm 118.
• Add these numbers and you get 1,188.
• What is the center verse in the Bible? Psalm 118:8.

This verse says something very significant about God’s perfect will for our lives. We’re told to trust in Him rather than man. If we do that, we’ll find it much easier to stay in the center of His will.

When are you tempted to place your trust in people rather than Christ? We often tend to trust what we can see and feel. Placing our trust in God when we can’t see Him, is where faith comes in.

Many times we can’t see or feel the sun. But we don’t doubt its’ existence simply because it’s hidden behind the clouds. And there are times we can’t feel the wind. Do you still believe that the air exists even when you can’t feel or hear it? To stay in the center of God’s will requires faith, and faith is trusting without seeing.

The next time someone says he’d like to find God’s perfect will for his life . . . or that he wants to be in the center of God’s will, just send him to the center of God’s Word!

Isn’t it odd how this works out . . . or could God be in the center of it?

Know It!
What often seems a coincidence to us, is divine provision from God Almighty. Allow Him to help you stay grounded in the center of His will.

Read It!
Psalm 118:8; Luke 18:1-8; Ephesians 6:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:5; Hebrews 11:1.

Pray It!
Dear Jesus, sometimes I stray from the center of Your will. Please forgive me, Lord. I want to be and live in the very center of Your will. Give me the discipline I need to stay grounded in Your Holy Word.

God’s Voice

James Alexander Langteaux knows God’s voice. He often talks about the “road trip” God directs him to take. And during these road trips, God speaks to him very clearly about specific areas in his life that need attention. You can read about his adventures in the two books he’s written: God.com and God.net.

Someone else knew God’s very extremely well. You can read his story in 1 Kings 18 and 19. After Elijah defeated 450 prophets of Baal, he fled his enemies and ran to the mountains. While waiting for God to speak to him on the mountain, a lot began to happen around him. He experienced an earthquake, a fire and a tornado.

Elijah had gone to the mountains specifically to hear God’s voice. We tend to think when God speaks His voice thunders through something big . . . such as thunder or fire or a stormy blast of wind. But Elijah sat through all those natural disasters and didn’t hear God’s voice at all. As he continued to wait for God to speak, he finally heard the faint rumblings of a whisper. The Bible tells us when he heard that whisper, He knew it was the voice of God.

We often wish God would speak to us through a heavenly e-mail, a telegram or a phone call. But most of the time when He speaks, His voice comes in a still, small whisper from within.

Chances are, when your mom calls you, she doesn’t have to identify herself. “Honey, this is your mother calling. Remember me? I’m short with dark hair. . . .”

You probably recognize her voice as soon as you hear the first utterance of the first syllable of her first word on the other end of the phone line. Guess what! God wants you to know His voice that well, also! He wants you to be so tuned in to Him that if you’re caught in the middle of downtown traffic amidst the blaring of horns and screeching of tires, if He chooses to speak, you’ll hear His whisper.

It’s the final quarter of the basketball game, and you’re in the stands screaming your team onto victory with your friends, and God chooses to speak. Will you hear His whisper above the roar of the crowd?

Right in the middle of shuffling feet, hallway clatter and campus chit-chat, if God speaks to you at school, will you be so tuned in to His whisper that you’ll hear His voice?

Elijah was. James Langteaux is. And you can be, too.

Know It!
If you think God never speaks to you, you’re mistaken. He’s speaking . . . but it could be that you simply haven’t learned the sound of His voice.

Read It!
Deuteronomy 20:31; 1 Samuel 15:22. 1 Kings 19:11- 13.

Pray It!
Dear Jesus, teach me the sound of Your voice. I want to be tuned in to You.

Recognizing God’s Voice

How can you learn to decipher God’s voice? How do you learn anything? It’s a process. The more time you spend with Him, the better you know His voice.

Think of your relationship with God as a friendship. Yes, it’s much more than that, but let’s focus on a few qualities that make your earthly friendships so special and apply them to your relationship with your heavenly Father. Imagine that you and Derrick have just become friends. The first few times you call each other on the phone, you may need to identify yourselves.

But the more you hear Derrick’s voice, the faster you recognize him when he speaks to you. After a few weeks, he sees you walking down the hall and calls your name from behind. Before you even turn around to face him, you know it’s Derrick, because you’ve learned the sound of his voice. You know his inflections, his accent and his pitch.

During the week, the two of you exchange e-mails. And when he spends the summer at his grandparents house in Canada, Derrick sends you postcards and letters.

When the two of you graduate from high school, you part ways and attend different universities. You marry after college and several years pass before you hear from Derrick. When the phone rings, he may need to reintroduce himself to you. Perhaps his voice is deeper, he may have a cold, and you may have forgotten his vocal inflections because of the time spent apart.

Apply those same principles to your relationship with God. The more time you spend together, the better you get to know Him. And the more you talk to Him and listen to His voice, the faster you learn to recognize His voice. Just like postcards, letters and e-mail, you can get to know Him better by reading His Holy Word.

But like a friendship, your relationship with God needs consistent care. If you go too long without talking to Him and listening to Him, His voice will be difficult to discern. How well do you know the voice of God?

Know It!
God wants to teach you about Himself, but it takes effort of your part to get to know Him. Are you willing to invest the time it takes into making your relationship with Him the most important friendship in your life?

Read It!
Psalm 29:3; Psalm 95:7; Isaiah 30:21; Revelation 3:20.

Pray It!
Oh, Jesus help me to dive into Your Holy Word and become saturated with it! I want my relationship with You to become the most important thing in my life.

Abishag, R.N. On Call

King David had been known as a “man after God’s own heart.” And as he grew old, Abishag became known as David’s live-in personal nurse. Of course, she was without fancy prescriptions, X-ray machines and heart monitors. So her main responsibility was simply to keep King David warm.

Often times, as one grows older, they develop poor blood circulation and it’s easy to be cold much of the time. King David was so cold, Abishag R.N. was brought in to help. What a job description: Warm the king!

It’s important to know that this was not a sexual relationship. She was simply trying to physically warm her patient. But only a few months after she accepted the job, King David died. Abishag then became involved in a bitter family battle between the king’s sons. Solomon and his brother Adonijah both wanted the throne, and Adonijah tried to use Abishag as a bargaining chip. Solomon saw through his plan and even predicted that his brother would try to use Abishag to claim the throne.

Imagine how she must have felt! She gave her best to the king, tried to make him comfortable in his final days, and instead of being thanked, she’s simply taken for granted and used as a ploy for selfish means.

Can you identify a time in your life when you felt used? It doesn’t feel good when something we do goes unnoticed, or a family member treats us like a piece of laundry, does it? Instead of falling into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself, take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows exactly how you feel. He was used, also. By maintaining a growing, intimate relationship with your heavenly Father, you’ll be guarding against feelings of bitterness and resentment.

Know It!
God knows all. He sees the good you do, and He never takes your actions for granted. He will reward you in His perfect time.

Read It!
Proverbs 14:10; Luke 21:1-4; Ephesians 4:31.

Pray It!
Lord, I admit I still harbor a grudge against (fill in the blank) for what he/she did to me. Jesus, I’m tired of being hurt, but I’m also tired of spending so much energy on being angry. I give this hurt to You, Lord. Take it. And help me to maintain a growing relationship with You.

Devotional Reading for:
3/15/2008

Associated Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 40:28-31
Psalm 43

When Life Gets You Down

He gives power to the faint. Isaiah 40:29

Life sometimes gets us down. Problems, challenges, frustrations at work, at home, even in the church, all wear away our enthusiasm, our spirit, and our strength. Warfare with our own sinful selves and the temptations of the world wear us down. We get up in the morning determined to change and do better, but very soon we’re thinking, feeling, and even acting in the same old way. What’s the use? Why bother? Just settle down to the same old rut! That’s the language of surrender to our sinful self, Satan, and the world. It can wear away our faith and separate us from God.
Here is good news. When we’re down, Jesus lifts us up. The evil that gets us down has met its match in Him. He was lifted up on the cross to lift us out of the guilt, power, and punishment of our sins. Whatever the battles or burdens of life, we can count on His forgiveness and strength. Isaiah writes, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. . . . They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength” (vv. 29, 31). That’s our story with Christ. We repent, confess, go to Jesus, and find forgiveness. He renews our strength.

Heavenly Father, help me find in Christ Your forgiveness and Your strength in the midst of all my weakness; in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Worry Not!

Americans consume about 97 percent of the world’s aspirin. It seems more and more people are having heart problems at earlier ages. Teens are being fitted with pacemakers and are getting ulcers. If you’re not worried about something, people tend to view you as abnormal.

As far as we know, Jesus never had ulcers. True, He didn’t have children or a wife. He didn’t have to make car payments and try to figure out how He’d get that term paper done on time while shuffling His part-time job at the gas station. And no, He didn’t have to chase drug pushers and gang-bangers out of His neighborhood to keep it safe for His family and neighbors. Even though there are lots of differences between His culture and ours, Jesus did have pressures. But He never seemed to worry.

Can you even imagine life without worry? Maybe the answer lies in the resources that were available to Jesus. Guess what! Those very same resources are available to you. Today! What are they?

• Learn to retreat. There are several times in Scripture we read that Jesus took a step back. He went somewhere and prayed. He spent time alone. This enabled Him to maintain His Father’s perspective. You, too, can learn to retreat. Take a few steps back from time to time, and allow the Holy Spirit to recharge your spiritual batteries. Go hiking. Pitch a tent and spend the night in your backyard. If you know a relative who’s going to be out of town, ask if you can stay alone in his home for a day.

• Don’t be afraid of what others think. You probably have friends who are worried about making enough money to appear successful when they graduate college. You may be worried about making an extremely high grade on the S.A.T. or the L.S.A.T. We’re bombarded with pressure from all sides to succeed. Be the best. Climb the corporate ladder the fastest. Make the highest grades. Start college early.

Jesus didn’t seem very concerned about being a success, did He? Several people acknowledged their disappointment in Him, but He didn’t allow that to slow Him down. The Pharisees were disappointed He didn’t push the law more with His disciples. The disciples were disappointed He didn’t start and win a war with Rome. His mother and brothers were disappointed He didn’t leave the crowds at one point to come talk with them.

Know It!
As long as you’re living in the center of God’s will, He wants to help you block out the opinions of others who cause you worry.

Read It!
Matthew 6:25-34; Matthew 10:19.

Pray It!
Lord, I do tend to worry quite a bit. And I’ve noticed when I do, it takes my focus off of You. Please help me make time for personal retreats, and teach me not to worry about the opinions of others.

Devotional Reading for:
3/17/2008
Monday in Holy Week
Associated Scripture Readings:
Galatians 3:10-14
Psalm 25:14-20

The Week of the Cross

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13

This is the week of the cross. The language is serious. The facts are grim. A curse is upon all who look inside and think, I see no sin, or Yes, I sin, but what of it? There’s plenty of time to repent. God will wink at the bad when He sees the good I’ve done. All of that puts us under the curse of the Law. The Law says, “No sin.” The Law says, “Be perfect.” We’re not. The verdict is guilty. The sentence is death.
This is the week of the cross. Christ goes to the cross to redeem us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us. The curse falls on Him because God does not want it to fall upon us. We earned it. He suffered for it. What an expensive salvation! How great the gifts! The impossible burden of our guilt is lifted. The unpayable debt is paid. The enslaving chains of sin have fallen off. Instead of fleeing the curse of the Law and the wrath of God, we have been returned to the Father’s arms. This is the week of the cross, with the job of Easter in the distance. So bring out the palms once more. Bring out the hosannas again. Worship Him and let the praises ring!

Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, so that I find joy in Your forgiveness. Amen.