Blogging about faith and depression

Blogging about faith and depression from Think Christian

The Blessing of Unanswered Prayers

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but everything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

— Unknown Confederate soldier

Testimony of James Boice

As mentioned in the book Praying Backwards by Brian Chapell:
"The last time noted pastor and author James Montgomery Boice addressed his congregation before succumbing to cancer, he spoke of the trust that healing prayer includes."

If I were to reflect on what goes on theologically here, there are two things I would stress. One is the sovereignty of God. That’s not novel. We have talked about the sovereignty of God here forever. God is in charge. When things like this come into our lives, they are not accidental. It’s not as if God somehow forgot what was going on, and something bad slipped by. It’s not the answer that Harold Kushner gave in his book, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. God does everything according to his will. We’ve always said that.

But what I’ve been impressed with mostly is something in addition to that. It’s possible, isn’t it, to conceive of God as sovereign and yet indifferent? God’s in charge, but he doesn’t care. But it’s not that. God is not only the one who is in charge; God is also good. Everything he does is good. And what Romans 12, verses1 and 2, says is that we have the opportunity by the renewal of our minds—that is, how we think about these things—actually to prove what God’s will is. And then it says, "His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Is that good, pleasing, and perfect to God? Yes, of course, but the point of it is that it’s good, pleasing, and perfect to us. If God does something in your life, would you change it? If you’d change it, you’d make it worse. It wouldn’t be as good. So that’s the way we want to accept it and move forward, and who knows what God will do?

Read the whole article (PDF file):
http://www.tenth.org/fileadmin/files_for_download/Pdf_articles/000507_JMB.pdf

HOPE – FOR THOSE WHO FEEL NO HOPE

"This poem and the piece at the beginning are intended as an encouragement for those for whom the feeling of hope is a real struggle."

HOPE – FOR THOSE WHO FEEL NO HOPE - Wings of Madness message board

Living the Cross Centered Life

"It's a fallen world, and there fore we will all suffer. So we must prepare, because the ideal time to be educated about suffering is never in the midst of it. We need to be trained prior to suffering so that we may be fully sustained in suffering.
C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross Centered Life

CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR THE MENTALLY ILL

1. Schizophrenia -- Do You Hear What I Hear?


2. Multiple Personality Disorder -- We Three Kings Disoriented Are


3. Dementia -- Was I Going To Be Home for Christmas?


4. Narcissistic -- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me


5. Manic -- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and...


6. Paranoid -- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me


7. Borderline Personality Disorder -- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire


8. Personality Disorder -- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why


9. Attention Deficit Disorder -- Silent Night, Holy Oooh look at the Nativity, Can I have a chocolate, Why is Santa's suit red?


10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle, Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle
    Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle...

2 Corinthians on Suffering

Suffering 1
Suffering 2
Suffering 3
Suffering 4

A Good Soldier

2 Timothy 2:3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (ESV)

'You have been called to endure hardship, and every Christian who has gone before you has had his share. And although you haven’t yet shed blood for your faith (Hebrews 12:4), you will experience hardship as a Christian for your faithfulness–count on it. Jesus said, "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). But be encouraged for He also said, "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Jesus is the perfect Commander who leads by example and will bring you to certain victory in the end.'

Read the whole article:
http://www.sfpulpit.com/2007/12/03/a-good-soldier/

Hebrews 4:15-16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Be Still, My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

Ka­tha­ri­na A. von Schle­gel, in Neue Samm­lung Geist­lich­er Lied­er, 1752 (Stille, meine Wille, dein Je­sus hilft sie­gen); trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Jane L. Borth­wick in Hymns from the Land of Lu­ther, 1855.

Birthdays

For most of my adult life I've hated it when my birthday comes up. This year I was starting to feel the dread because I always get more depressed as it gets closer.

There are a few reasons I don't like my birthdays, the main one being that I wish I wasn't born. Life is too (increasingly) difficult and this world is fraught with evil and suffering.

I've been going through 2 Corinthians and I'm familiar with this verse in NIV:

2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

But going through it in other versions really struck me:

2 Corinthians 4:17 NASB For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

2 Corinthians 4:17 NRSV For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,

If I were to say that the glory in heaven will be 900 trillion tons and our suffering here, as bad as it can be, is like one tenth of a gram, that wouldn't show enough of a difference because that isn't "beyond all measure."

This year God is teaching me to hope for heaven and have faith that when that time comes around, it will have been more than worth it and I will be very glad that I was born so that I could be with God forever.

It doesn't make this life much easier but I need to ask God to give me the grace to have faith that it will be as He says it will be and experience the hope for heaven in this life.

When You're Too Tired To Pray

When a big stressor comes along or when you're wiped out for any other reason it can be difficult to even have the strength to pray when that's what you need to do most. God knows our weakness as mentioned in Psalm 73:26: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (NRSV)

Here are some steps I believe God led me through during one of these times.

• Just "be" in God's presence. No words are necessary. You may not feel God's presence--just acknowledge that He's everywhere and knows you and your situation. Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."


• Pray a written out prayer that you know is God's will. I have these:
  http://www.eternallifeministries.org/prayers.htm
  and other prayers formatted and printed in a binder for these occasions or when I just want a change. Also see the Prayer category here.
  


• Talk to God about how you feel as opposed to your regular devotional/prayer routine. Sometimes you can just talk to yourself without even praying directly to God. Psalm 62:8 says in part to "pour out your heart before Him". (NRSV)


• Spend a short amount of time reading (as opposed to studying) the Bible like one Psalm.

My thinking is not necessarily to do all of these things at once, but as you have the energy.

2 Corinthians 1:5

For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. (NRSV)

"But what kept me going more than anything else was my confidence in the character of God."
--Ravi Zacharias quoting Charles Cooper

We absolutely must read and study the Bible in order to know God's character and take refuge in Him.

Psalm 103:13-14

As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 10:1,17

Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

Lamentations 3:25

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him; (NIV)

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit. (NRSV)

Praying the Psalms

I started praying the Psalms as mentioned previously.

Not all Psalms are prayers. However I learned that there are still things to pray about in each Psalm.

Do I participate in what "sinners" participate in? Do I mock others? Gently convict me and help me to repent.

Help me to delight in Your Word and to meditate on it more often.

Thank you that I am blessed and that You watch over me.

Psalm 1 (TNIV)
1 Blessed are those
who do not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but who delight in the law of the LORD
and meditate on his law day and night.

3 They are like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.

Isaiah 42:3

a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. (ESV)

What Did I Do To Deserve...?

What did I do to deserve this awful condition I'm in?

How come I explain myself over and over and nobody understands?

What happened to me that my dreams torment me every night?

What did I do to receive God's mercy?

What did I do so that He chose me?

What did I do so that my spiritual zeal increases as my condition worsens?

The answer is nothing.

Which would I rather have--normal mental and physical health with much less spiritual growth or the spiritual growth I've been experiencing without the chronic suffering? I can't answer that yet but as time goes on I'm more and more thankful for the spiritual growth and the opportunity to know Him so much better because of what He's doing.

I hate my life. I love God. He will be glorified. Someday, sometime it will have been worth it.

Am I Praying In God's Will -- Or Against It?

When to Be Bold and Persistent with Requests
http://nehemiah.gospelcom.net/praywill4.htm

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous be shaken. (TNIV)

Secrets of Contentment

Secrets of Contentment By John MacArthur

This is a continuing series.

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Blog Labels

I have simplified the labels of the blog. In the right hand column under LABELS you can click on each label to see all the posts under that category.

• Article - articles written by other people


• Personal - personal writings of my own
  


• Prayer - prayers mostly by others


• Quote - quotes from books, devotionals and found on the Web


• Scripture - Bible verses/passages

Praying the Psalms

There are seemingly happy people all around us. Many aren't letting on what's going on inside. We can feel like most of the people around us are living charmed lives, especially in the church. The praise choruses sung at many churches and gatherings are always upbeat in tone and almost never express doubt, pain or suffering.

Starting next month, I'm going to read one Psalm a day as a prayer. There is a much better balance of life and expression in these poems/songs. I'll try to report back.

Psalm 119:28

My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.

Psalm 147:11

the Lord delights in those
who fear him,
who put their hope
in his unfailing love. (NIV)

Trials and God's Discipline

Hebrews 12:7-10
Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?
8 If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children.
9 Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness.

We know that God uses all thing for good (Romans 8:28) but are all of our trials God's direct discipline?