Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Hearing God in Our Depression

     When my friend Michele’s military husband was deployed for a year, leaving her with four kids at home, and away from their families, she shared this story:


There were times when I felt like I could not catch my breath as panic set in.  Bitterness had taken root in my heart.  The reality of my current life situation compounded with the many unknowns in our future set me into a tail spin.   Well meaning friends would ask how they could help us and all I wanted to do was scream to them, "I do not want your help, I want my husband home!" I am pretty sure there were times that my children thought about the phone-a-friend option!  I am pretty sure that if anyone on the outside had seen our reality they would have questioned my stability.
And then God spoke to my heart.
Through a military spouse-specific devotion book I purchased and His perfect timing, I found the reassurance that I needed. God cares, and He was just as sad as I was.  And maybe even angry as well.  He does not desire to see His people hurt, but He does desire to see them grow.”

         In learning to hear God we need to remember how much He loves us. He cares about the details of our lives. He cares if we are stressed and overwhelmed. He cares about our relationships. He cares about our kids, our marriages, our jobs and our ministries. There is not a pit of depression too deep that He can’t speak to us.
         The devotion book Michele read reminded her of how much God loved and cared for her and that He was sad about her life circumstances as well. Knowing that made all the difference to her. We have a God who cares and empathizes with us. Yet, He is strong enough to be our strength when we are weak. He is our Guide when we need direction. He is our comfort when we hurt. He is a father to the fatherless, and our friend when we are lonely.

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9

To read the rest of Michele’s story or to check out her blog, click here.


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How about you? Have you heard God’s voice when you were in a pit of depression? What did God say to you? Please share in the comments below.

This is day 28 in the series about Hearing God. It is part of the write31days.com writing challenge. To read the other posts in this series, click the links below. If you enjoyed these post, please consider signing up to receive them in your email. Don’t worry on all other months I post, at the most, twice a week.




11 comments:

  1. Ohhh, such tender thoughts. I don't know how military families get through deployments. Clearly--with difficulty. I love that your friend found support and encouragement that devotional book. Depression is tough. Honestly, I've not experienced deep depression ... but in my desperate times, it is the whisper of God's voice, the sense of His presence, the right song on the radio, that encouraged me.

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  2. God is faithful and oh, so gracious. If we will just listen for His voice, He WILL speak!

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    1. And I am so grateful he does! Thanks for letting me share your story Michele!

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  3. I have only experienced one bout of depression--and I think that God whispered to me quietly all along so that I never slipped too far into the pit.

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  4. Depression is horrid - so glad your friend found help!

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  5. I find the full range of emotions in the Psalms very helpful

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  6. As a military spouse who also struggles with depression, I can totally relate. Oh how God has grown me through "single" parenting 8 children while Daddy was at war.

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    1. I bet He has! But I'm sure you are closer to God now and trust Him more than you did before. Blessings to you Elizabeth!

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