Quote from Forum Archives on February 18, 2009, 12:37 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

With circumstances being what they are at the present time, it is quite
likely that a few of you are discouraged, disillusioned, or depressed.
While that is understandable, that need not be the place that you remain.

I manage a prayer needs mailing list, which I send out three times a
week. Every edition contains prayer requests for those facing divorce,
abandonment, loss of job, betrayal, the list goes on and on.
Periodically there are suicidal threats; we've had a few of those quite
recently.

Personally, I have had my own share of problems. I went through several
years earlier this decade where I could not find a good paying job to
support my family and I had to get by with whatever I could do. I've
just had four good years of employment, but only recently I have lost my
regular job again. How do I cope?

The answers lie in this devotional message. Sure, I waver from time to
time, I am certainly not perfect. I quickly remember what the Bible has
to say, and I also quickly remember my past, and how, time and time
again, God has personally seen me through extreme diversity.

When struggles arise, I may ask God, "Will I have to go through this for
very long? I'm not looking forward to that, but yet Lord, I've seen you
get me through some pretty awful stuff before. I'm not looking forward
to another struggle, but if that is what it takes for You to bring me to
where You want me to be, then so be it. Just see me through it and
constantly be by my side".

Do I ever get depressed and have I ever been depressed? Yes, I have,
and that is particularly why this message means a lot to me. I know
from personal experiences that taking my eyes off my Savior is not
something I want to do for very long, preferably not at all. Am I
reminded of what that can be like? Oh yeah, I can remember a deep
depression that I went through. It was so unnecessary in the sense that
I could simply rest in the Lord.

Easier said than done, you might say. Well, God gives us even tiny
faith, and He gives us the means to grow our faith. The Bible says that
faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
One answer when we lack faith and we find ourselves in depression is to
get into the Word of God. The deeper and more distraught we are, the
more we need that Word. I would much rather be addicted to the truth in
God's Word than imprisoned by my own doubts and fears.

My prayer for each one of us is to go to the wellspring of life, the
Word of God. Get into it, I mean it, daily Bible reading, meditation
(thinking on the words), and prayer are the breath of life, and the
source of contentment. Take it from one who has tasted the other kind
of experience. You don't have to taste it, instead, taste and see that
the Lord is Good!

Yours in Christ,
Brian

Todays-Bible-Minute-for-Mr.-Masinick-February-18-2009.eml