The first thing we must do to turn this depression around, by an act of our will, is to return to God and humble ourselves before Him by praying, by studying the Scripture and by praising Him. Just as Worship is the ultimate manifestation of our spirit towards God, to bless or praise God is also the ultimate manifestation of our soul towards Him. David stated in Psalm 103:1-2,
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits; (NASB 1995)
The Word bless is the Hebrew word, bāraḵ: meaning “To bless, to kneel, to salute, or to greet.”[1] Notice that the rest of the Psalm tells us exactly what to remember when we praise Him. THIS IS HOW YOU PRAISE; this is at the center of our praise to God:
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
17 But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, O my soul! (NASB – 1995)
To bless God is to acknowledge the nature of his character and to remember what he has done for us.
There is no healing from depression until we make up our minds and understand that our very lives depend on it; that God and God alone is the source of life. There may be chemical imbalances, there may be terrible outside experiences or, just bad nutrition combined with sedentary lives. However, I am here to tell you, that you can be perfectly healthy, follow a great diet, exercise, have money, friends, resources, family, a great job, etc. without a healthy relationship with God none of those great things will help you.
In conclusion, our relationship with God is vital; literally our lives depend on it. The blessing of our relationship with God is life, abundant life in the midst of a fallen world. Is enjoying peace, joy and a soul sold out to praising God. If you want to get better turn to God. Turning to God does not mean just going to church or just joining a Bible study; those are good things, and they are indeed very helpful; however, what ultimately gives our soul life is closeness with God’s Spirit… that is where the breath of life is… that’s what makes our souls a living soul and, not just life, but an abundant life.
[1] Warren Baker and Eugene E. Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 166.
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