Depression: A Devotional For The Wounded Spirit Sýnishorn

One of the most overwhelming responses to suffering is to ask, and even demand, to know WHY it’s happening. We desperately try to find meaning in our pain, a purpose for the situation we are enduring. Unfortunately, we don’t often receive any answers, or at least not while we’re in the middle of everything.

Our experience is more like Job’s, who tried to trust God and accept the trials, but also cried out in frustration and bewilderment. Instead of offering any reason for allowing the trials, God reminded him of His wisdom and power, and impressed on Job how limited his understanding was as a man.

While God’s response to Job is awe-inspiring and humbling, it might not be reassuring for some of us. We know His perspective includes every factor we cannot see, that His might and intellect are beyond what we can grasp. But at the core of our questions, we’re eager, even aching to know whether we can trust the heart of the invisible Being who wields control of our lives. Can we trust our Maker - who claims us as His children - when He chooses not to protect us from pain and suffering?

Part of the answer lies in what we would trust Him to do. The difficult truth is that we can’t trust Him to fix every situation like we would want, because He never promised He would do so. He did promise to always be with us, and redeem everything that happens if we’ll trust Him - and oftentimes He’ll do it anyway, even if we gave up on Him, because He loves us so much.

But how do we trust the Lord when He doesn’t guarantee the things we want in this life?

In human relationships, trust is earned. God knows this, so He invites us to put Him to the test. Start with small things, see if He is trustworthy. Entertain the possibility that any small thing that goes right could be His blessing, an expression of His love and compassion for you.

Did you make that deadline? Perhaps He gave you the strength. Was someone kind to you? Maybe He prompted them to reach out. Is it a beautiful day outside? Consider the likelihood that He knew you needed it, and is inviting you to enjoy it with Him.

Slowly, you’ll start to see that He is good, even when life isn’t. Then someday, even if you don’t understand what He’s doing or why, you’ll trust who He is as your heavenly Dad, and it will be enough.