Emmanuel — God with us — is about the most popular name on the planet and it’s true that the birth of Jesus brought God closer to man. It’s also true that he’s closer to us than we think (Acts 17:27 KJV) and yet, even for the strongest of believers, God can feel pretty far away sometimes. Why is that?
The feeling that “God is far away” stems from a handful of emotions but the most obvious culprit is depression.
People have committed suicide because they were depressed and as of now, it’s one of the biggest causes of death in the world.
Science has not figured out a cure for depression and it’s very likely scientists never will because unlike other sicknesses that are caused by physical elements, depression is caused by a blend of very strong emotions mostly emanating from loss, abuse or hardships.
Basically, the very nature of life guarantees that once in a while, we will get down and out and that means we have to turn to our maker to figure out a way to deal with emotional ailments.
One of the most powerful verses to help us deal with depression is Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
No matter how bad life gets and how deep the pain we feel when uncertainties or misfortune strikes, choosing to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable will get you through it all.
The mind is your battlefield.
Every win or loss you will encounter came out of your mind and the moment we are able to capture all bad and evil thoughts and submit them to the authority of Jesus by replacing them with his promises, we will find that we can overcome any and everything and live victoriously.
God is close, brothers and sisters. He’s closer than we think and the only times he feels far away is when we allow bad thoughts and powerful emotions to get the better of us.