The familiar story of Jonah illustrates the approaches employed to address the deeper problem of the nature of sin. God was seeking to save a people while salvaging a prophet. Resistance and self-sufficiency jumped to the forefront as fear, evidenced by anger, gripped Jonah’s heart at the thought that God would not judge the wicked Ninevites. Jonah’s strategy to resolve the crisis was to ensure that God would destroy the people of Nineveh. Believing he could thwart God’s plan by refusing to participate, Jonah asserted his willfulness to create his own redemptive process. Unwilling to trust God, Jonah allowed his bitterness to fester and employed his own creative solutions. The story ends with God in the process of salvaging Jonah by showing him he has no ability to independently restore control to his life, because God’s plan will prevail.
BIBLE TRUTH
“Those who worship false gods
turn their backs on all God’s mercies" (Jonah 2:8 NLT).
HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Our exhausted supply of resources leaves us alienated. Loneliness invades as our thwarted efforts become evident. The emptiness of our hearts tempts us to continue the vicious cycle of seeking God-substitutes to fill the void. With continued resolve we contrive another plan of employing people, positions, and possessions for our power to live. Eventually the futility of the endeavor becomes evident through social rejection, compromised health, and a lack of personal energy to pursue the pathological dream. Alienated souls now stand stranded beside the road they thought would take them to the place of completion.
“See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
All your idols are as empty as the wind” (Isa. 41:29 NLT).
PRAYER
LORD, I am crying out to you in my great trouble. I know you will hear and answer me. I am sinking beneath the waves and the waters are closing over me. As my life is slipping away, I am reminded of you, for my salvation comes from you alone. Therefore, I will offer sacrifices to you with the songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. (Jonah 2:1–9)
(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.
Showing posts with label Depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Depression. Show all posts
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, July 16, 2012
God's Submarine Ride
(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
The familiar story of Jonah illustrates the approaches employed to address the deeper problem of the nature of sin. God was seeking to save a people while salvaging a prophet. Resistance and self-sufficiency jumped to the forefront as fear, evidenced by anger, gripped Jonah’s heart at the thought that God would not judge the wicked Ninevites. Jonah’s strategy to resolve the crisis was to ensure that God would destroy the people of Nineveh. Believing he could thwart God’s plan by refusing to participate, Jonah asserted his willfulness to create his own redemptive process. Unwilling to trust God, Jonah allowed his bitterness to fester and employed his own creative solutions.
The command to obey God produced a crisis for Jonah, the messenger of God. The possibility of God being merciful and compassionate to Nineveh pressured him to the point of stress and anxiety. Advancing his way over God’s will, Jonah attempted to resolve the crisis and restore control to himself, prompting Jonah to address his redemptive need with a plan to go in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.
Prompted by the lie that he could actually live independently, Jonah boarded a ship, hoping to escape from the Lord. Temporary relief came as he slept in the hold of the ship. God disrupted Jonah’s comfort with a storm prepared especially for him. Invested in ignoring God, Jonah also shut out the thrashing of the waves, the pitch and yaw of the ship, and the shifting of the cargo until the captain of the ship demanded Jonah seek his God for a redemptive plan. What irony!
But Jonah sought to resolve the crisis with another self-made plan involving a death wish: “Throw me into the sea” (Jonah 1:12 NLT). In the belly of the great fish (Rosscup calls it a “submarine ride”) God once again offered His redemptive plan. After three days and three nights Jonah was ready to follow God’s truth and acknowledged, “My salvation comes from the LORD alone” (Jonah 2:9 NLT). Submitting to God’s plan, he allowed the power of God to resolve his fears and take over his will.
“Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: . . . This time Jonah obeyed” (Jonah 3:1, 3 NLT). When the people of Nineveh “put a stop to their evil ways” (Jonah 3:10 NLT), Jonah’s greatest fear came true. An additional crisis was produced, and depression followed. Jonah’s submission to God’s will did not include adopting God’s heart. He had no desire to see the people saved who were steeped in perversion and debauchery. Self-sufficiency regained its foothold, and with another death wish Jonah pleaded, “Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen” (Jonah 4:3 NLT). Invested in his own plan, his depression intensified while he justified his mental illness. “The LORD replied, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about this?’ . . . ‘Yes,’ Jonah retorted, ‘even angry enough to die!’” (Jonah 4:4, 9 NLT). The story ends with God in the process of salvaging Jonah by showing him he has no ability to independently restore control to his life, because God’s plan will prevail.
Despite our best efforts, our plans cannot measure up to God’s design. Our feeble attempts to live independently from God result in disastrous consequences. Perversion propels us to further crisis, although God continues to assert His truth that we must be desperately dependent on Him in every area of our lives. Through Christ’s redemptive process we have a new set of options that can overcome guilt, shame, and fear with an overflow of His love, joy, and peace if we are willing to be desperately dependent.
Insight Journal
Describe a situation in which you used selfish ambition instead of relying on the Spirit’s fruit of gentleness. How would this situation be described differently if you were relying on the Spirit’s fruit of gentleness?
The familiar story of Jonah illustrates the approaches employed to address the deeper problem of the nature of sin. God was seeking to save a people while salvaging a prophet. Resistance and self-sufficiency jumped to the forefront as fear, evidenced by anger, gripped Jonah’s heart at the thought that God would not judge the wicked Ninevites. Jonah’s strategy to resolve the crisis was to ensure that God would destroy the people of Nineveh. Believing he could thwart God’s plan by refusing to participate, Jonah asserted his willfulness to create his own redemptive process. Unwilling to trust God, Jonah allowed his bitterness to fester and employed his own creative solutions.
The command to obey God produced a crisis for Jonah, the messenger of God. The possibility of God being merciful and compassionate to Nineveh pressured him to the point of stress and anxiety. Advancing his way over God’s will, Jonah attempted to resolve the crisis and restore control to himself, prompting Jonah to address his redemptive need with a plan to go in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.
Prompted by the lie that he could actually live independently, Jonah boarded a ship, hoping to escape from the Lord. Temporary relief came as he slept in the hold of the ship. God disrupted Jonah’s comfort with a storm prepared especially for him. Invested in ignoring God, Jonah also shut out the thrashing of the waves, the pitch and yaw of the ship, and the shifting of the cargo until the captain of the ship demanded Jonah seek his God for a redemptive plan. What irony!
But Jonah sought to resolve the crisis with another self-made plan involving a death wish: “Throw me into the sea” (Jonah 1:12 NLT). In the belly of the great fish (Rosscup calls it a “submarine ride”) God once again offered His redemptive plan. After three days and three nights Jonah was ready to follow God’s truth and acknowledged, “My salvation comes from the LORD alone” (Jonah 2:9 NLT). Submitting to God’s plan, he allowed the power of God to resolve his fears and take over his will.
“Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: . . . This time Jonah obeyed” (Jonah 3:1, 3 NLT). When the people of Nineveh “put a stop to their evil ways” (Jonah 3:10 NLT), Jonah’s greatest fear came true. An additional crisis was produced, and depression followed. Jonah’s submission to God’s will did not include adopting God’s heart. He had no desire to see the people saved who were steeped in perversion and debauchery. Self-sufficiency regained its foothold, and with another death wish Jonah pleaded, “Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen” (Jonah 4:3 NLT). Invested in his own plan, his depression intensified while he justified his mental illness. “The LORD replied, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about this?’ . . . ‘Yes,’ Jonah retorted, ‘even angry enough to die!’” (Jonah 4:4, 9 NLT). The story ends with God in the process of salvaging Jonah by showing him he has no ability to independently restore control to his life, because God’s plan will prevail.
Despite our best efforts, our plans cannot measure up to God’s design. Our feeble attempts to live independently from God result in disastrous consequences. Perversion propels us to further crisis, although God continues to assert His truth that we must be desperately dependent on Him in every area of our lives. Through Christ’s redemptive process we have a new set of options that can overcome guilt, shame, and fear with an overflow of His love, joy, and peace if we are willing to be desperately dependent.
Insight Journal
Describe a situation in which you used selfish ambition instead of relying on the Spirit’s fruit of gentleness. How would this situation be described differently if you were relying on the Spirit’s fruit of gentleness?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Christ Is Relevant to Depression
relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion. (Webster's dictionary)
This is how Amanda tells her story about finding Christ relevant to her depression.
God has taught me to be more dependent upon Him through a struggle I’m having with depression. I tried to find my love, joy, and peace in people. It didn’t work. I felt disappointed. I tried to find it in my job. It didn’t work. I felt dissatisfied. I even tried to find worth and value in how I looked. And again it didn’t work. I have too many imperfections. The only way I could find my love, joy, and peace is through Christ and Christ alone.
I’ve let this struggle with depression almost destroy me. Life the past five years has been somewhat miserable for me because I was trying to find my worth and value in things other than Christ. I spent many days lying in bed thinking, “how could God love someone like me” and thinking, “I have no purpose.” Thankfully, God has helped me to change my thoughts in so many ways, although it is an area where I’m still healing. I now know God loves me and know that He does have a purpose for me.
I am a Kindergarten teacher and have been for 5 years. The first few years of teaching I didn’t really think to pray for my students. I mostly focused on myself and what I could or couldn’t do. These years were not my best because I had my focus in the wrong place. Not having God in the center of my life caused me turn inward and because of this I ended up depressed.
It’s only been recently that I’ve changed my perspective in my job and can now see the reasons why God has placed me in a classroom full of 5 & 6 year olds. I’ve learned that I should take time to pray for my students and their families every day. I am there to make a difference in the children’s lives and want to share God's love with them. Teaching my students their ABC’s or to count to 100 is important, but not as important as them knowing God loves them.
My purpose is to be His servant and to be dependent upon Him in every area of my life. I just have to remind myself each day to keep my focus on God and off of myself. I pray for God to give me strength to make it through the day, because without Him I couldn’t get very far.
This is how Amanda tells her story about finding Christ relevant to her depression.
God has taught me to be more dependent upon Him through a struggle I’m having with depression. I tried to find my love, joy, and peace in people. It didn’t work. I felt disappointed. I tried to find it in my job. It didn’t work. I felt dissatisfied. I even tried to find worth and value in how I looked. And again it didn’t work. I have too many imperfections. The only way I could find my love, joy, and peace is through Christ and Christ alone.
I’ve let this struggle with depression almost destroy me. Life the past five years has been somewhat miserable for me because I was trying to find my worth and value in things other than Christ. I spent many days lying in bed thinking, “how could God love someone like me” and thinking, “I have no purpose.” Thankfully, God has helped me to change my thoughts in so many ways, although it is an area where I’m still healing. I now know God loves me and know that He does have a purpose for me.
I am a Kindergarten teacher and have been for 5 years. The first few years of teaching I didn’t really think to pray for my students. I mostly focused on myself and what I could or couldn’t do. These years were not my best because I had my focus in the wrong place. Not having God in the center of my life caused me turn inward and because of this I ended up depressed.
It’s only been recently that I’ve changed my perspective in my job and can now see the reasons why God has placed me in a classroom full of 5 & 6 year olds. I’ve learned that I should take time to pray for my students and their families every day. I am there to make a difference in the children’s lives and want to share God's love with them. Teaching my students their ABC’s or to count to 100 is important, but not as important as them knowing God loves them.
My purpose is to be His servant and to be dependent upon Him in every area of my life. I just have to remind myself each day to keep my focus on God and off of myself. I pray for God to give me strength to make it through the day, because without Him I couldn’t get very far.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)