The Cloud of Depression — A LifeWords Devotion

Psalm 77:1-9

Depression is a common yet often well-hidden disease. It is more than just being down in the dumps, more than mere melancholy, more than just sadness or sorrow. Depression is a feeling that often doesn’t feel feelings. As one person put it, “nothing tastes”. The world has turned grey and sometimes even black.

It is both unhelpful and untrue to label it as a sin, that it is something God has sent to punish you. A call to repent of it thus falls on deaf ears. A failure in the neuro transmitters in the brain, a succumbing to hormonal complexities, is no sin against God. Nor is deep despondency when life situations overwhelm us.

The Psalmist may or may not have suffered from depression as he wrote these words, but they express something of what a depressed person might feel. God seems far away, memories of better times are haunting rather than comforting. Prayers bounce off the ceiling, faith itself seems futile.

How good it is that the Bible does not insist on constant happiness and enthusiasm. Our Creator is compassionate and patient. He knows that those in depression may not maintain a strong hold on him. He wants us to know that what ultimately matters is his strong hold on us.

Blessings,