How has God already offered to help you?
Just a few moments ago, I felt overwhelmed. I was sitting in front of my computer contemplating how to write to some dear friends about the difficult topic of divorce, and my fingers didn't move at all. I truly wondered whether or not I had anything of true value to bring to the table.
We all face moments that feel overwhelming. It's often a humbling and difficult experience to reach the end of yourself, but it's in those low places where God meets us right where we are, at just the right moment.
The prophet Jonah was at such a low point in his life that he prayed a depressed, gut-wrenching prayer: "Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." (Jonah 4:3, NIV)
Jonah was so down that he pleaded with God to take his life. And if you're feeling that way today, my prayer is that you'll understand that God has a true purpose for your life and that you'll make the decision to choose life today and the help that God offers. In my own dark moments, I made a conscious choice to receive the help that God provided.
Psalm 107 spoke directly to this. It says, "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind." (Psalm 107:13-15, NIV)
I lost track of the ways that God offered to help me in my difficult battle with depression. God offered help in countless ways. The question was, was I really willing to receive it?
As a part of my journey, my wife, Laurel, was praying with me for God's help. She was a constant source of spiritual encouragement and belief. I went to a medical doctor who was also a friend, and he laid out options for physical changes and medication. He offered the medication, but in truth, I fought it. I just didn't want that kind of help. I wanted to pray or serve my way out of my depression. I stared at that medicine bottle for weeks, and finally it was Laurel who looked at me and said, "You asked God for help. He sent you a doctor who loves you and offered you medicine, and now you want to negotiate how the help actually arrives?"
My friend, I'm not saying medication is the right path for you. That's your choice. But I am asking, who do you think put the thought into the chemists' brains when they came up with something that could actually help? I believe Jesus did a miracle through that chemistry!
So, for me, I took the medication, and it helped. Am I still taking it? Not right now, and I may truthfully need it again someday. But for this moment, I'm actually doing better, and I'm so grateful for the miracle of a loving wife who showed me that I was not alone; a few less anxious moments that allowed me to see Jesus clearer; and a Jesus who promised to love me no matter where the journey would take me.
Help is available. Hope is a gift, and Jesus loves you. The end of Psalm 107 says, "Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind." (Psalm 107:31, NIV)
So I thank God for Laurel Fishbook, Dr. Lee Hein, all of the amazing friends who walked with me, and I'm also thankful for you. Thanks for taking this journey with me.
Never forget, my friend, you are a miracle.
