Everywhere I Go: Learning to See JesusSample

THE BLACK DOG OF DEPRESSION I have read that at any given time in America, there are over seven million people suffering from untreated depression. It is estimated that over nine million people do seek help each year to deal with various degrees of depression. This much is certain: when you are depressed, you are in good company. The prophet Elijah experienced depression from time to time; so did Job. Writers like Edgar Allen Poe, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Eugene O'Neill all battled with depression. Abraham Lincoln suffered periods of depression, and Winston Churchill called it "the black dog" that kept him company many days. Charles Wesley, Martin Luther and John Calvin all experienced depression, and Charles Haddon Spurgeon, perhaps the greatest pastor who ever lived, wrote that every genuine man or woman of God will be subject to depression. Depression does not necessarily stem from sin, or from a lack of faith in God. It is not a sign that God has turned His back on you. Depression can be physiological, circumstantial or spiritual. There are many sources. The apostle Paul's bout of depression recorded in I1 Corinthians stemmed from his worry over the Christians at Corinth. They were like his wayward children, and concern for their welfare dogged his thoughts constantly. He had poured his life into them, and they seemed to have rejected both his teaching and his love. His depression was eased by their favorable response to his letter of rebuke, and by their acceptance of his messenger Titus. In other words, the people he was depressed over got right with God. He was also comforted by God through Titus himself, and the good report he brought back from Corinth. When the black dog of depression seems to follow you, examine your heart and be confident of the love of God. He wants to lead you from sorrow to comfort.