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Edward D. Andrews — EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored ninety-two books. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).

God is very much aware of his servants that suffer from depression. Isaiah 57:15 says, “The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: ‘I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.’” We can draw a measure of comfort from the fact that God “is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18.

There is little doubt that our taking the time to open our heart to the One who ‘hears prayers,” it can enable us to be able to cope better with disturbing moods and situations. (Psalm 65:2) The apostle Paul exhorts us, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7.

Some of the more severe forms of depression can cause us to have an intense sense of worthlessness, which can lead us to believe that God has abandoned us, no longer hearing our cries for help. However, this is irrational thinking gone out of control, because “he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” (Psa. 103:14) While our human imperfections, we need to know that while “our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:19-20) Yes, we need to pray similarly as the Psalmist, who said that God “is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” – Psalm 9:9, 10; 10:12, 14, 17; and 25:17.

Even when our depression has the better of us, inhibiting us from being able clearly to state what we want, we should never give up. We just need to express ourselves as best we can, even if it is mumbling to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” (2 Cor. 1:3) The Spirit knows what is in our hearts. The question is how does God answer our prayers?

Proverbs 3:25-26 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

²⁵Do not be afraid of sudden panic
or the storm of the wicked, when it comes,
²⁶for Jehovah will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.

Before delving into what verses 25-26 means, let us take a moment to establish what it does not mean. Should we understand these verses or any other in Scripture that because we are wisely walking with Jehovah God that he will miraculously step in to protect each Christian personally from diseases, mental disorders, injury or death? These sorts of miracles are the extreme exception to the rule. Of the 4,000 plus years of Bible history, from Adam to Jesus, with tens of millions of people living and dying, we have but a few dozen miracles that we know of in Scripture. Even in Bible times, miracles were not common, far from it. Hundreds of years may pass with no historical record of a miracle happening at all.

If we are wisely walking with God, we can be confident that bodily disease, mental disorders, injury or early death are far less likely than if we were not. Moreover, we can draw on the resurrection hope. Does God miraculously move events to save us out of difficult times or miraculously heal us? Yes, he certainly can, but it is an extreme exception to the rule. He miraculously heals those who are going to play a major role in his settling of the issues that were raised in the Garden of Eden.

What these verses and the rest of Scripture teach us is this, if we walk by using biblical discernment and exercising biblically sound judgment unless time and an unforeseen occurrence befall us, we can be confident that we will not stumble into the difficulties that the world of mankind alienated from God faces every day. Conversely, the wicked do not have this protection. In other words, Christians live by the moral values of Scripture, which gives them an advantage over those that do not. Therefore, God answers our prayers by our faithfully acting on behalf of those prayers, by applying Scripture in a balanced manner. If we have not taken in a deep knowledge of God’s Word, how can we have the Spirit-inspired wisdom, the very knowledge of God to guide and direct us in our ways?