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
We shall return to the book of Joshua again, however during my quiet time a few weeks ago, The Lord laid on my heart a topic which I would like to share with you, and that is how to satisfy the afflicted soul.
In Isaiah 58 we learn that when we fast, among other things, The Lord expects us to satisfy the afflicted soul.
What is an afflicted soul?
According to Strong’s Concordance the afflicted soul is a person who looks down on themselves or are depressed or even hurt themselves. We all know people who are depressed, and it is likely that some of us are even now going through depression or have suffered from depression at some point in our lives.
I recall suffering from depression in 2011 when I was going through intense spiritual attacks. It led to me being unable to sleep for a period of three months.
What is Depression?
The Bible calls depression a spirit of heaviness. It is something you cannot see however it can have a significant impact in people’s lives. There are emotional and physical effects of depression.
Emotionally it can leave its sufferers with feelings of sadness, hopelessness, crying, anger, constant pessimism, feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing, and being socially withdrawn.
Physically it could lead to lack of appetite, over-eating, erratic sleep pattern, headaches, lethargy, self-harm etc. In severe cases it can even lead to suicide.
Did Bible characters suffer from depression?
There are Bible characters who suffered from depression at some point in their lives. Elijah was a great Prophet who could command fire to come down from heaven however when he was being pursued by Jezebel he prayed that he might die: “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” (1 Kings 19:4).
King David, the great Psalmist, was depressed after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He was so depressed that he groaned all day long until he confessed his sin before God:
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Psalm 32:3-5
There are other Bible characters who also suffered from bouts of depression: Abraham (Genesis 15), Jonah (Jonah 4), Job (Book of Job), King Saul (I Samuel 16:14-23), Jeremiah (Book of Jeremiah, Lamentations).
Does God care about those who are depressed?
God cares so much for those who are depressed that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to heal the broken-hearted (Luke 4:18).
We have seen that depression is nothing new and it goes right back to Bible times.
Next week, we will look at how to encourage someone who is going through depression.
Prayer
Dear Lord, please show me how to encourage those who are going through depression in Jesus name, amen.
Listen to the Message
You can also listen to this message on YouTube here:
How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams
Do you know God’s purpose for your life? If not, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and listen to the audio version of: How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams
God bless,
Blessing
blessingtheo 