God of the Valley

Depression and the Sufficiency of God

November 18, 2020 / Joshua Sercey

In week 5 of our miniseries on mental health, Josh takes a look at what might be the most stubborn and difficult of mental health issues: depression. What if a possible answer for how to deal with depression is found in the character of God? In this episode, Josh explores how God’s sufficiency provides hope in the midst of the most hopeless situations, and can be a path toward to greater health.

Key Ideas:

  • Charles Spurgeon: “The mind can descend far lower than the body, for in it there are bottomless pits. The flesh can bear only a certain number of wounds and no more, but the soul can bleed in ten thousand ways, and die over and over again each hour.”
  • Sadness makes sense in a fallen world. Depression goes beyond into a numbness of soul and mind, where there is no more goodness in life and creation.
  • 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God”
  • While depression can seem stubborn, God is sufficient in the midst of it.
  • God does not chide us for our sorrow — his compassion overflows with empathy and love.
  • God’s sufficiency is not dependent on me, but on God. So no matter the state of my heart or mind, God stays the same and my sadness and depression does not hamper the work of God’s grace in my life.
  • Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
As a reminder, this series does not minimize the importance and necessity of professional mental health support, but it does remind us as believers that the Lord cares for us and that the scriptures have something to offer us as we seek health and wholeness. Listen to why we’re talking about these issues in part 1, “Why Mental Health?