If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
Isaiah 58:10
Last week we learned that when we fast, among other things the Lord expects us to satisfy the afflicted soul. An afflicted soul is someone who is depressed and who looks down on themselves or even harm themselves.
If you are depressed or you know someone who is depressed, here are a few suggestions of how you can encourage yourself or how you can encourage others:
- Pray for them
When we come across people who are depressed we ought to pray for them and simply ask God to help them to be joyful:
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
Isaiah 61:3
- Just be there to listen to them without being judgmental
We must avoid reacting like the friends of Job who instead of comforting him accused him of sinning. When we come across people who are depressed we must learn to be there for them in a non-judgmental way. We should ask the Holy Spirit to help us to be there to comfort them and listen to how they feel.
- Encourage them to confess any known sin to The Lord
David said that when he confessed his sins to The Lord, He forgave him and removed the guilt of his sin. Likewise if the depression came about as a result of sin, then it important to confess those sins to The Lord and ask for His forgiveness:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
- Encourage them to trust in The Lord
When David was going through another bout of depression he encouraged his soul to put his hope in God, and we must likewise put our hope in the Lord when we are feeling down and encourage those who are downhearted to do the same:
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
Psalm 42:5
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help me to encourage those around me who are going through depression in Jesus name, amen.
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God bless,
Blessing
blessingtheo 