Sermon: What does the Bible say about Depression: By Reece Sherman
BIBLICAL TRUTHS To Keep In Mind When Dealing With Depression:
God Never Loses Sight of You
Deuteronomy 31:8 “… It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you
or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Psalms 40:13 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up
from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps
secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put
their trust in the LORD.
Your Trust and Hope is In Him; Call Upon Him
Psalms 3:3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Psalms 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in
the LORD.
Psalms 37:34 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight
yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in
God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
1 Peter 5:67 (KJV) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
He Has Great Plans for You; Hang in There
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for
evil, to give you a future and a hope.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
1 Peter 4:1213 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as
though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s
sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
Realize that you can't base life on your emotions
Christians base life on truth, not feelings. Philippians 4:1 commands us to rejoice (whether we feel
like it or not!). And James 1:2 asks us to “Consider it all joy when we fall into various trials.”
Notice that James doesn't tell us to feel joyful; he tells us to reckon, to choose to think about your
situation as a spot where you can have joy.
Faith
Choosing to trust truth rather than your feelings may require a lot of faith. And if that is what we
mean by asking if faith can solve depression, then faith may be enough in some cases. Trusting
what God says rather than your feelings is certainly a more realistic approach to life!
Heed God's Advice
However, many people talk about “faith” and only mean a vague hope that God will somehow
pull them through. That's too nebulous a concept to be reliable. Many of the same people who
claim to have faith keep plunging through life ignoring God's principles for healthy living. If we
spurn the good advice that the Bible contains, we won't escape the consequences even if we
have faith.
ILLUS: A couple of years ago, the South East Christian Church offered a time during their
Wednesday Evening Service (attendance of at least 600) for people to come forward and have the
Elders lay hands on them and pray for healing. The speaker pointed out that there was "a lot of
hurt in this room" sickness, broken relationships, grief. He said that at the invitation, the elders
would be available for prayers of healing.
The response began as a trickle. Soon, others began making their way down from the balcony;
walking along individually or in pairs, or rolling forward in wheelchairs. Before long, the trickle
became a torrent.
Elder Bob Carpenter said he was not prepared for the response to the invitation. "I was totally
surprised by the magnitude of it."
Elder Bill Beauchamp did not expect the vast response either… nor did he anticipate the type of
prayer needs revealed. "At least 2 out of 3 asked for prayer for depression," he said.
"I thought it would be more for physical needs. But so many said, ’I’m depressed. I feel unworthy.
I see no future." I was amazed at how many felt unworthy."
What God gives to help the depressed
● Strength. God “refreshes and cheers” you, not by removing all your problems, but by
answering your prayers when you pray for the strength to cope. (Philippians 4:13) You can
be sure that he’s ready to listen to you, for the Bible says: “Jehovah is near to those that
are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” (Psalm 34:18) In fact,
God can hear your call for help even if you can’t put your feelings into words.—Romans
8:26, 27.
● Good examples. One Bible writer prayed to God: “From the depths of my despair I call to
you.” This psalmist dealt with his depression by remembering that God doesn’t burden us
with guilt. Instead, he said to God: “If you kept a record of our sins, who could escape
being condemned? But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you.”—Psalm
130:1, 3, 4, Good News Translation.
● Hope. Besides providing comfort now, God has promised to remove all the problems that
lead to depression. When he fulfills that promise, “the former things [including depression]
will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart.”—Isaiah 65:17.
BIBLICAL TRUTHS To Keep In Mind When Dealing With Depression:
God Never Loses Sight of You
Deuteronomy 31:8 “… It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you
or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Psalms 40:13 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up
from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps
secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put
their trust in the LORD.
Your Trust and Hope is In Him; Call Upon Him
Psalms 3:3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Psalms 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in
the LORD.
Psalms 37:34 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight
yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in
God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
1 Peter 5:67 (KJV) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
He Has Great Plans for You; Hang in There
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for
evil, to give you a future and a hope.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
1 Peter 4:1213 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as
though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s
sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
Realize that you can't base life on your emotions
Christians base life on truth, not feelings. Philippians 4:1 commands us to rejoice (whether we feel
like it or not!). And James 1:2 asks us to “Consider it all joy when we fall into various trials.”
Notice that James doesn't tell us to feel joyful; he tells us to reckon, to choose to think about your
situation as a spot where you can have joy.
Faith
Choosing to trust truth rather than your feelings may require a lot of faith. And if that is what we
mean by asking if faith can solve depression, then faith may be enough in some cases. Trusting
what God says rather than your feelings is certainly a more realistic approach to life!
Heed God's Advice
However, many people talk about “faith” and only mean a vague hope that God will somehow
pull them through. That's too nebulous a concept to be reliable. Many of the same people who
claim to have faith keep plunging through life ignoring God's principles for healthy living. If we
spurn the good advice that the Bible contains, we won't escape the consequences even if we
have faith.
ILLUS: A couple of years ago, the South East Christian Church offered a time during their
Wednesday Evening Service (attendance of at least 600) for people to come forward and have the
Elders lay hands on them and pray for healing. The speaker pointed out that there was "a lot of
hurt in this room" sickness, broken relationships, grief. He said that at the invitation, the elders
would be available for prayers of healing.
The response began as a trickle. Soon, others began making their way down from the balcony;
walking along individually or in pairs, or rolling forward in wheelchairs. Before long, the trickle
became a torrent.
Elder Bob Carpenter said he was not prepared for the response to the invitation. "I was totally
surprised by the magnitude of it."
Elder Bill Beauchamp did not expect the vast response either… nor did he anticipate the type of
prayer needs revealed. "At least 2 out of 3 asked for prayer for depression," he said.
"I thought it would be more for physical needs. But so many said, ’I’m depressed. I feel unworthy.
I see no future." I was amazed at how many felt unworthy."
What God gives to help the depressed
● Strength. God “refreshes and cheers” you, not by removing all your problems, but by
answering your prayers when you pray for the strength to cope. (Philippians 4:13) You can
be sure that he’s ready to listen to you, for the Bible says: “Jehovah is near to those that
are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” (Psalm 34:18) In fact,
God can hear your call for help even if you can’t put your feelings into words.—Romans
8:26, 27.
● Good examples. One Bible writer prayed to God: “From the depths of my despair I call to
you.” This psalmist dealt with his depression by remembering that God doesn’t burden us
with guilt. Instead, he said to God: “If you kept a record of our sins, who could escape
being condemned? But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you.”—Psalm
130:1, 3, 4, Good News Translation.
● Hope. Besides providing comfort now, God has promised to remove all the problems that
lead to depression. When he fulfills that promise, “the former things [including depression]
will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart.”—Isaiah 65:17.