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Question from a friend of WordTruth Press:
>>> I have been down since last week and I have been crying
>>> all week-end. My prayer request is for me to stop feeling
down
>>> and enjoy these coming weeks. I don' t want to go through
the
>>> same feeling for another week. Pray that God will strengthen
>>> me more and will give me more hope.
WordTruth Press Response:
I am so sorry to hear you are feeling depressed. That is no fun --
trust me, I've been there. It colors everything you think of in life.
And everything seems like it will always be that way. But though
circumstances may be difficult now, remember:
For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call
upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek
Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13,
NKJV).
God can not only strengthen you but give you hope also. In fact,
He has already given us complete hope for all time. And look at the
outcome of that great "living" hope:
Praise
be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! In His great mercy
He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish,
spoil, or fade -- kept in Heaven for you, who through faith are shielded
by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed
in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little
while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These
have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold --- may be proved
genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is
revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though
you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible
and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation
of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9, NIV)
Joy is yours, you see, even in times of grief! "But why do I feel
bad anyway?" you may ask. Feelings are like roller coasters -- sometimes
they take you to fantastic highs and other times to gut-wrenching lows.
Usually, feelings are associated with circumstances and your thoughts about
those circumstances.
I have found that in such times of feeling down that I must trust in
the LORD Jesus Christ and force myself to do the things that I know I should
be doing -- you know, the things that I'm not doing because I'm feeling
down. There are people to help, chores to complete, and life to live.
If you focus on faithful obedience to Christ, the feelings of sadness will
eventually fade into the joy of your salvation, as expressed by the Apostle
Peter.
Also be sure you are getting the basics -- rest (but not too much rest),
good food, and some form of exercise, and fellowship with other believers.
Also, I have found that a good multi-vitamin with strong B-complex is helpful
to strengthen the body during times of stress. If you do these things,
the down feelings will eventually start to look up.
I will pray for you my sister in Christ ... God is not through with
you by a long shot!
May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus!
Randy Lariscy :-)
President - WordTruth Press℠
© Copyright 3/28/2003, Randy Lariscy.
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