Does God care when I feel depressed? - Depression - TouchPoints

Psalm 34:18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 147:3He [the Lord] heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Matthew 5:4“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

God isn’t disappointed or upset by our depression or emotional struggles. On the contrary, he draws close to his people when they are in distress.

John 11:32-35When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.

Jesus went to the town of Bethany knowing that Lazarus had died and knowing that he would raise Lazarus from the dead that day (John 11:11-15). Mary and Martha knew that Lazarus would be resurrected someday (11:23-24), just as we know that all believers will be given new bodies and live eternally (2 Corinthians 5:1). But Mary and Martha still grieved, and Jesus didn’t criticize them for that. On the contrary, he grieved alongside them, experiencing the full range of anger, anguish, and sorrow that comes from losing a loved one. We worship a God who understands the depths of our emotions—not merely from a distance through his omniscient knowledge, but by experiencing the struggles of life alongside us.

Isaiah 53:3-5He [the Messiah] was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

This prophecy of Isaiah was written 700 years before the birth of Jesus, yet it perfectly describes Jesus the Messiah’s life and love for us. Jesus faced countless depressing situations: the death of Joseph, his earthly father; rejection and even violence from people he was trying to help; skepticism and disbelief from his brothers; the anxious anticipation of a terrible death; betrayal and abandonment by his closest friends; slander and humiliation by his enemies; and physical pain we can only imagine. And the reason he went through all this—the reason all Scripture testifies to—is that he loved us too much to let us suffer on our own.

Psalm 22:1-5, 22-23My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. . . . Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

Psalm 139:1-12O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. . . . even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

God is present with us no matter how deep the emotional depths we descend to. Still, the dark haze of depression can make us feel alone. David felt alone and abandoned in his depression, even though he called to God day after day. Yet he didn’t stop calling out to God. He shared his raw grief, frustration, and fear with God—and he clung to the truth that God was faithful. In the midst of our darkest depression, God is there, and he knows us and loves us through it all.

Isaiah 53:3He [the Messiah] was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.

John 11:35Then Jesus wept.

We can take comfort in the truth that Jesus fully understands the pain of human life. He has suffered everything that we have, and even more.

Matthew 11:28-30Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus cares deeply for those who are weary and provides comfort, love, and rest.

Isaiah 54:10“For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Romans 8:35, 39Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Not even life’s worst depression can separate us from the love Jesus has for us. We must never push him away. He knows everything that has happened to us and all we are going through, and he loves us with a greater love than we could ever imagine.