Article June 18, 1990 Issue

Expression, not depression

If we look at our lives from a purely material standpoint, we may see much that could justify depression. But to do this would be to close our eyes to our spirituality and to God's love for us.

Kathleen Sue Markwood

Recently I was reading about a man who suffered severe depression. He had finished a very difficult project, which left him unpopular with the powers that be. Consequently, he was forced to leave his former location and was feeling terribly alone, sorrowful, and, frankly, quite fed up with life.

He believed in God, so he turned to Him in prayer. He didn't ask for deliverance; perhaps he felt he had endured all he could. So instead he prayed, "O Lord, take away my life."^{I Kings 19:4.} But he soon learned that God doesn't take away life; rather He "giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; ... For we are also his offspring."^{Acts 17:25, 28.}

God answered the man's prayer, but not in the way he'd asked. He inspired the man to get up and get on with his life. From this encounter with God, he learned that he had never really been alone, that there were lots of other people committed to the same cause he was. As he followed God, his human needs were met.

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