When Depression Is Your Calling

Very challenging words here from John Lockley:

If [God] had said, “Go out and preach…”, you’d have gone. If He’d said, “I want you to be a missionary,” you’d have gone…But because he has said, “Sit there and be depressed for a bit, it will teach you some important lessons,” you don’t feel that it is God calling you at all…do you?

Do you remember Naaman, who wanted to be cured of his leprosy? (See 2 Kings 5). If he had been asked to do something glorious he would have been happy. Because he was asked to bathe in the murky old Jordan he wasn’t so keen—yet this was God’s plan for him, and it cured him. God ahs better plans for us than we have for ourselves—unfortunately, as we can’t see into the future, we don’t always appreciate just why God’s plans are better. With hindsight it’s somewhat easier.

However strange it may seem to you, God wants you to go through this depression---so look at it positively, not negatively. What does he want you to learn from it? What can you gain through it?

When you begin to think in this fashion your guilt feelings start to drop away. You can begin to understand that what is happening is part of God’s plan for you—and so your depression is not a punishment from God. You are actually where God wants you to be, even if it is emotionally painful. To put it another way, if God wants you to go through this it would be wrong for you to avoid it, wouldn’t it?

This will go against every fiber of belief of some people.  Yet, I ask that you humble consider it and let it rattle around in your heart and mind for awhile.  Just as martyrdom is the calling of some I have to wonder if enduring various illnesses to the glory of God might also be a type of calling. 

I grabbed that quote from David Murray’s excellent book Christians Get Depressed Too.  That is perhaps the most helpful book on depression that I have read.  

You’ll Know When You Get There

I tend to give the type of directions that people hate.  Actually, I give the type of directions that I hate.  You know the ones that are never detailed and usually end with something like, “don’t worry you’ll know when you get there—you can’t miss it”. 

Well, what if I do miss it?  What if I’m a total moron?  I am the guy that once stopped at a gas station to get directions for the building across the street.  It is possible that I could totally miss the obvious building that even a monkey could drive to. 

These type of directions stress me out because they require a good amount of trust in the person giving them.  First of all, I have to trust that he/she knows my level of imbecility.  I have to trust that if he says I cannot miss it—he genuinely knows that I CANNOT miss it this time.  Secondly, I have to trust that he/she really can guide me to this “obvious” location. 

God’s Answer to Moses

“Trust me” type of directions can be really disconcerting.  And it is precisely these type of directions that God gives Moses in Exodus 3. 

Moses says to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  His question is certainly sensible.  Who is Moses that he—a stuttering murderer—should lead Israel out of Egypt? 

If I were Moses and God responded to me in this way, I’m not sure that I would have found what he said helpful.  Check out God’s response:

“But I will be with you, and this shall be a sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain”.

In other words God is saying, “once you’ve brought them out of Egypt then you will know that I called you to bring them out of Egypt”. 

Is “I will be with you” enough?

I wouldn’t have been cool with this response.  I should be cool with this response—but I’m not.  The problem is with me, not with God’s answer.  But I don’t want God to say, “trust me, you’ll know it when you get there”.  I want God to give me a picture now, map it out.  Don’t just tell me—once this has been accomplished you’ll look back and say—see I told you so.  I don’t like that because that takes some serious trust. 

The key to this text—the foundation of what God said to Moses—is this statement: “But I will be with you”.  That should be enough shouldn’t it?  Moses asks, “who am I”, to which God responds, “It’s not who you are, Moses, that matters.  What matters is that I AM, and I am going with you.” 

Is it enough for me today that God says, I am with you?  Because in Jesus I have the certain promise, “I am with you always”.  Christ has not left us as orphans—through His Spirit, He is now with us always.  Is that enough?  Is God’s presence enough for me today or do I need a map?

Do I trust God enough for him to say, “You’ll know when you get there”? 

From the Pen of Newton: Knowing the Will of God

Apparently the question of “how do I know God’s will for my life” is not confined to our modern era.  John Newton dealt with this same question.  I was encouraged that his answer is similar to what mine often is.  After showing the danger of subjective experiences Newton offers this advice:

In general, God guides and directs His people, by affording them, in answer to prayer, the light of his Holy Spirit, who enables them to understand and to love the Scriptures. The word of God furnishes us with just principles, and right apprehensions, to regulate our judgments and affections, and thereby to influence and direct our conduct. Those who study the Scriptures, in a humble dependence upon Divine teaching, are taught to make a true estimate of everything around them, and are gradually formed into a spirit of submission to the will of God. They thereby discover the nature and duties of their several situations and relations in life, and the snares and temptations to which they are exposed.

You may want to read this entire letter, it will be well worth your time.  But most of probably will not click that link, so allow me to summarize.  Newton begins the letter by discouraging such subjective things as “casting lots”, “opening the bible at a venture”, “a sudden strong impression of a text”, “freedom in prayer”, and “a remarkable dream”.  I think Newton would be quick to add—some of our modern devices; such as a feeling of peace, a word of knowledge, circumstances, or signs. 

Newton’s advice is simple.  Really get to know the revealed will of God and you will have no trouble walking after the Lord.  He is following in the stream of Augustine, “Love God and do what you want”.  Spend your time being transformed by the written Word and you will be more apt to follow after the Lord’s steps.  Do away with all this subjective, crystal-ball searching, mumbo-jumbo! 

If you are interested in an excellent little book on this topic check out Kevin DeYoung’s book: Just Do Something.  Read my review, here, and if you are interested click on the $8.79 and buy yourself a copy. 

Review of Just Do Something…by Kevin DeYoung

Author: Kevin DeYoung

Pages: 128 pages

Publisher: Moody

Price: 8.79

Genre: Christian Living

Quick Summary:

The title of this book tells it all: Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will or How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc. DeYoung’s philosophy is simple, “Live for God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, with whomever you like, wherever you like, and you’ll be walking in the will of God.

It is sad that DeYoung’s approach will come as novel to many readers. But it is not. This approach is certainly as old as Augustine who essentially said, “Love God and do what you want”. Much of this book is given to tearing down the “hyper-spiritual approaches” that don’t work. DeYoung also offers some instruction as to what to do—but if you are looking for magical answers you will not find it. His advice is simple—just do something.

What I Liked:

Adultolescence is an ever-increasing problem. There are those that are 30 and older that still do not have their life figured out. Within the church this is seen as a spiritual “waiting for God’s will”. DeYoung tears down all of the mystical garbage of pursuing God’s will. This is such a welcome addition to all of the books on finding God’s will; as a youth pastor I will frequently be recommending this book to students trying to discover God’s will for their life.

For me personally, this book has come at a very appropriate time. For awhile now the Lord has been opening up the Scriptures and pointing out aspects of church history to shape my view of “finding His will”. I have came to much the same conclusion as DeYoung—he just says it better than I was able to. This book has served to confirm what the Lord was already working in my own heart. I am not certain how this book would do in encouraging someone that picked up in whole-hearted disagreement. I would imagine that it would be used by God to convince them of the simplicity of knowing God’s will and hopefully encourage them to put down the crystal ball and start following Jesus.

This book is short, well-written, and extremely helpful.

What I Disliked:

This book will appeal to 30-somethings and younger. But these are not the only ones that have bought into the contemporary Christian’s “hyper-spiritual” view of finding God’s will. Everyone, regardless of age, needs to read this book; I hope that the books packaging, writing style, and target audience does not prevent this.

This probably says more about my list-desiring heart than DeYoung’s book, but I would have liked a little more information on what to do in knowing God’s will. This book does a great job of tearing down the existing structure but does kind of leave the person asking, “Well, what now”. But maybe that is the spot that we are to be in—absolute dependence on God and asking, “What now”.

Should You Buy It?

I love how Joshua Harris wrote the Foreword. He says, “It is God’s will for you to read this book”. Then he says that such a tactic is actually baloney. But this book is well written and extremely helpful. If you are the type that is constantly wondering what God’s will is, then you need to buy this book. If you work with teenagers or thirty-somethings that are still looking for direction then buy this book. If you have an adult living in your basement that should have a job, be married, and not living in your basement then perhaps you should slip it in front of their Xbox 360 with a note that says, “Read this!!!”  Buy it here for only $8.79

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Borrowed LIght: Today in Blogworld 01/14

Challies gives us the third and final post in his series on inerrancy. Today he considers Problems with Denying Inerrancy. It is also Day 6 on Challies Blog Tour. Today's question is, How might the discipline of discernment be used to protect the peace of the church?

Trevin Wax gives us some Church Bulletin Humor. My favorite is, "Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King."

Phil Johnson, from Team Pyro, begins a series on Total Depravity, entitled I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up. His main point in his brief introduction is this: "Again and again we see that those who have embraced these truths of original sin and human depravity have been used by God in tremendous ways, while those who have resisted or rejected these truths have made shipwreck of the faith."

Milton Stanley asks a stimulating question today; Does and Open Door=God's Will?