Daily Direction Reading PlanSample

An often heard slogan says, "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping." Whether shopping can cure depression, I do not know. But I know people look for various ways to cure it. Yet the most compelling way to cope with depression is to do what the author of Psalm 130 did. He found himself deep in despair. He identified the cause of his despair as his failure to do what God required of him. Unlike many people who fail God, he did not run away and hide by turning to alcohol or other distractions. He remembered that God forgives even the worst of sinners. So in his despair, he turned to God for forgiveness. Just as a guard counted on daylight to relieve his anxiety of watching for enemies all night, he counted on God to restore his joy. Standing guard all night was agonizing and depressing, but he knew that daylight will come and with it will come joy. Like another psalmist, who said that tears may flow during the long night but joy comes in the morning, the psalmist knew how to get relief from depression. He bubbled with delight at finding joy, so much so that he eagerly shared his personal experience to encourage others. What the psalmist did to overcome despair can happen to any person who relies on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. God said through Isaiah that He gives perfect peace to all who trust in God and to those whose thoughts remain fixed on Him.