The more intelligent a person is, the more painful are his/her bouts with depression. And “good” people have the problem as well as so-called “bad people.” In fact, the more “good” a person may be, the greater and more painful is the depression suffered. Job was an extremely intelligent person, and also genuinely righteous; but read about his episodes! And the One human Person of all time who alone was righteous through and through—behold His depression! Well, during His periods of depression. There were His episodes in His childhood when He was hounded by unbelieving, abusive members of His family circle (for they didn’t believe in Him, John 7:5). No child has ever suffered such excruciating emotional pain as Jesus had to go through (read Psalm 119:19, 22, 23, 28, 42, 50, 51, 69,78, 85, 87, 92, 99, etc.; these are the prayers of the Teen Jesus).
Reason for depression? Yes! Verse 92 says He would have “perished” if He had not known how to pray and how to receive strength directly from the Bible by believing what it said. He suffered deep pain of depression during His 40 days in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). We get the impression in reading Mark that during His sunlit days of ministry He was always on Cloud Nine, but the truth is that tears were ever ready to burst forth (John 11:35; Matt. 23:37; Heb. 5:7). Then there were those bitter hours of darkness on the cross when the Prince of Depressed People wrestled with a blackness of despair not one of us has ever gone through completely. Not even a candle shining at the end of His tunnel.
He is right now teaching a College Course 101 in Depression; go in and join it, even children can understand it. Identify with Him; immerse yourself in His depressions. I guarantee—you’ll overcome your own. “Truth will make you free” more effectively than—do I dare say it?—than pills (John 8:32). This particular College Professor is known as our great High Priest (Heb. 4:15, 16).
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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