Christians and Depression: A Biblical Perspective of How You Can Help

The recent death of Robin Williams has thrown depression and suicide into the national spotlight.  He seemed to have it all.  He was loved by many, he was successful, and he had a loving family.  In spite of this, he took his own life.  Long before Robin Williams committed suicide, he battled depression; a battle that likely involved his family and friends.

Depression is a very hard thing to deal with, both for the victim and for families of the person suffering.  The family may be tolerant, but may not understand.  Friends may not understand why the person “just can’t be happy.”  Some may consider the victim to be lazy because he or she may not have the energy to do much.  To add to this, many well meaning Christians may get involved in telling the victim and the family that the problem is a lack of faith.  These people may consider depression a spiritual issue and attempt to counsel the person that way.  All of these people mean well, but they do not understand the problem.  These people may try to help, but may simply make it worse.  Depression is a delicate subject, but there is help and no one is alone.

First, understand that depression is very common.  It affects 121 million people worldwide. Depression can be a result of an imbalance in the brain’s chemicals, an imbalance of hormones, or a specific situation.  Women who have post-partum depression have hormonal imbalances.  A person diagnosed with cancer may have depression as a result of the health problems.  Other people may simply suffer from chronic depression.  These people may withdraw from society/family, feel sad or hopeless, have a lack of energy, and may even consider suicide.  Depression is not a result of spiritual issues.

This may make you wonder what you can do for a loved one who is suffering from depression.  What does the Bible recommend?  God gave us an example and showed us exactly how to handle when our friends and loved ones become depressed. In I Kings 19:1-16, we find that the mighty prophet Elijah suffered from depression.  We see an excellent example of what to do when we find our loved ones in a state of depression.  Elijah was a prophet.  He did God’s work.  He had a relationship with God.  In spite of all of this, he went through terrible bouts of depression.  In fact, Elijah wanted to die.  But God never gave up on him.  God did do several things that we can do for our friends and loved ones.

Firstly, God provided for Elijah’s physical needs (I King 19:1-9).  He didn’t enable Elijah to wallow, but he did make sure that Elijah had what he needed to get through the depression.  Providing for someone’s physical needs may be something as simple as cooking a meal for someone who is going though depression or offering to drive him/her to therapy.

Additionally, God listened (I King 19:9-14).  Sometimes people just need someone to listen.  God didn’t judge Elijah.  God didn’t condemn him.  God didn’t tell Elijah what he was doing wrong.  God just listened.  Listening does come with a condition.  God gently corrected the misperceptions that Elijah had as a result of the depression.  Elijah repeatedly commented that he was alone, but God sent him help.  God showed Elijah that he was with him always.

God wasn’t finished there.  God assigned Elijah to a specific task (I King 19:15-16).  This is a tried and true technique for people who are in distress or in despair.  In fact, emergency personnel use this as a way to get people to focus.  Specific tasks make people focus and gives them one thing to do at a time.  It gets them moving without being overwhelming.

Finally, God provided a compassionate friend to provide help to Elijah (I King 19:19-21).  Friendship eases the burden of depression.  You can be that compassionate friend or loved one.

Bouts of depression come and go. When you are walking through depression with someone, remember that it will eventually be over for a time and that life will return to normal.  There is no way to guess how long bouts of depression will last.  There is no way to know how often depression will affect someone.  It is important for the person to know that God and you will both be there to walk with that him/her during that time.

Depression is a hard topic to deal with, but many survive it on a daily basis.  Remember to always pray and always persevere.  Seek out the help of a professional, and seek immediate help if suicide should come up by taking the person to the nearest emergency room, calling 911 or the National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255 .  Above all, rely on God to get you and your loved one through the hard time.

And always remember:

•  I Corinthians 13:5-8  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 9 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Well, that is all for now.

We shared this post at Essential Things Devotions.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Corine

Corine is the author of several Christian Children Books including: Why We Give Gifts at Christmas Time; What is Love My Journey with Jesus Christ and Why I Give. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and dancing. While she has no biological children, she has had the privilege of helping raise four children through foster care and a host of nieces, nephews and other little people. Among the little people, she is known as Aunt Cor. To learn more about Corine visit www.booksbycorine.com

Latest posts by Corine (see all)

• Christmas Surprises and Christmas Crackers - December 9, 2014
• A Christian’s Guide to Dealing with Sin - November 17, 2014
• It Will Be Okay: Trusting God Through Fear and Change – Review and Giveaway - November 13, 2014