Hope For The Hurting

Psalm 25:3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Sometimes it is difficult to provide comfort to a friend who is hurting, or to find comfort for myself when I find myself in dark times. It's easy to say, "Oh, God will help you," without providing any specifics or direction of any kind. 

But I would not be one who makes some generalized statement and then goes on about my day feeling good about doing my deed for the day. I would rather provide some source of true strength and some words that really mean something to a friend who needs strength or comfort. 

In Psalm 25, David begins by asking God for help and protection. But I would encourage you to read the entire Psalm. In verse 3 he does point out the encouragement that those who hope in the Lord will not be put to shame, and then continues throughout the Psalm, really painting a picture of what hoping in the Lord looks like.

He asks for mercy and forgiveness. He worships the Lord for His great love and faithfulness. He recognizes the blessings bestowed on one who fears and hopes in the Lord.

My purpose is not to write an exhaustive teaching on the psalm itself, but rather to say briefly what I've noticed in my own life.

I think I have struggled with depression at times in my life. I have never sought "professional" help and have never been diagnosed. But there have been times when I would barely eat, felt fatigued and lazy all the time, thought badly of myself, thought about ways to "get away" from the situation, for months at a time.

I usually managed to disguise these thoughts and feelings pretty well. I was usually in a situation where others were relying on me to be strong, and I was able to appear so for their benefit.

However, what I have come to realize is that any strength I do have is not my own. Those times when I feel weak or discouraged or even depressed it is usually because I have become unplugged from the source. When I am relying on my own strength, my own intellect, or other people, I grow weaker and weaker by the day. When I am actively seeking God's face, and leaning on Him to provide what is needed, I have an ever-expanding sense of peace and stability that carries me, regardless of the circumstances that surround me.

This is true, whether I see the source of my depression as a financial problem, a relationship problem, a work problem. My spiritual and emotional state of depression means the enemy is winning a battle, and is succeeding in distracting me from being productive or effective for the ministry of the gospel, providing for my family in every way, and pursuing a strong and ever-growing understanding and closeness in my relationship with The Most High God.

So, let that be your comfort. The Creator of the universe wants to have a personal relationship with you. He wants to provide you with the strength to face adversity, the peace that comes with obedience to Him, and the love that flows out of a person who is living in close fellowship with Himself.

It is easy to fall on some distraction to take our mind off our troubles. 
It is easy to use some substance to forget for a little while. 
But those are temporary solutions that address the symptoms. 

It is harder to humble yourself and go to the One who holds the cure. But it is so worth it.