Suicide and Depression: Hope In the Darkness

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” —Psalms 42:5

Depression and all suffering brings us face-to-face with critical spiritual realities.

It’s okay to be depressed, you just can’t live there.

Feelings are not necessarily sinful, and having depression doesn’t make you a “bad” Christian, but how we process our feelings can be sinful.

Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.Psalm 44:23-26

It isn’t wrong to feel angry, but it is sinful to allow the anger to turn to hate.

It isn’t wrong to feel sad, but it is wrong to allow my sadness to become my identity.

Oftentimes, Christians lose hope.

Sometimes Christians feel so badly they want to die.

Jonah Elijah Solomon

Suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary situation.

People who commit suicide have an overwhelming feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness.

For most suicidal people, the goal is not death, but stopping emotional pain.

Suicide doesn’t end the suffering for those around you, it only takes it to a new level that never leaves. It presents the illusion of being a solitary act, in reality it has enduring consequences for many.

Suicide always creates more pain than it alleviates.

What Does the Bible Say About Suicide?

Taking your own life is a sin. First, it is disobedience to the command of God, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). And disobedience to God’s commands is sin.

Second, it is presumption upon God’s sovereign prerogatives to give and take life. God alone can create a human person, and therefore personhood belongs to God. We have no right to dispose of ourselves or others as we please. The Lord has sole rights over what he has made. Murder and suicide intrude on the sacred ground where God alone is the giver and taker.

Third, it is failure to trust in God for the help needed to survive and cope. And the Bible says that whatever is not from faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

Therefore, we are on firm biblical ground when we say: it is sin take your own life.

There is no sin so great to separate us from God’s grace. The act of suicide does not, however, condemn anyone to eternal punishment and separation from God. Salvation and eternal life are gifts that God freely gives to all who acknowledge their sinfulness to God and trust personally in the death of Christ on the cross as the just payment for their sinfulness (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8–9; Rom. 8:31–33; 2 Cor. 5:21).

Salvation for any person rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, not in abstaining from sinful acts.

How to deal with depression?

Focus on Jesus.

Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.Psalm 17:7

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.Psalm 19:1-3

“Rivet your attention on Christ. Faith is sustained by looking at Christ, crucified and risen, not by turning from Christ to analyze your faith. Let me help you look to Christ. Let’s read Luke 22 through 24 together. Paradoxically, if we would experience the joy of faith, we must not focus much on it. We must focus on the greatness of our Savior.”, John Piper

What you are feeling will get better.

Perseverance is more than just making it through life until you die from natural causes. It is perseverance in faith and obedience. It is perseverance in our God-given purpose, even when life is very hard. Perseverance asks the question, “Today, how will I represent God? How will I trust him and follow him in obedience?” Then it asks for help from others, cries out to the Lord, and looks for an opportunity to love. It may seem feeble, but our confidence is in the God who is strong. The essence of persevering is trusting or obeying because of Jesus.

It is a process.

The goal is not to stop feeling, but to embrace and process our feelings. Emotion is what makes us human. You’ve gotta feel it to heal it.

Most suicidal people do not want death; they only want to stop what they consider to be unbearable emotional pain or psychological distress.

“Jesus Christ did not come to take away our pain and suffering, but to share in it.”

Is it a sin to take medication for depression?

It is not a sin to take medication that will allow you the clarity to fix your focus on Jesus. “Of course, by itself medicine is never a solution to spiritual darkness. All the fundamental issues of life remain to be brought into proper relation to Christ when the medicine has done its work.” John Piper

The cure for hopelessness is hope and Jesus should always be our first option, not the last. Antidepressants will not give you hope, but they might make you feel less miserable.

Medication vs. No Medication? It is unclear whether medication is any more helpful than counseling. (And it is unclear whether counseling is any better, overall, than talking with a wise friend.) Even in cases of severe depression, careful analysis of the evidence does not always demonstrate the superior effectiveness of medication over secular counseling. You would expect at least similar results when you allow Scripture to guide you.

It is a sin to put my whole hope and lasting trust in anything other than Jesus. We also live in a culture that assumes we are only physical beings. Given that assumption, medication and other physical treatments are seen as the only possible ways to help.

The search for hope and joy in any other place than Jesus will lead to disappointment.

You cannot medicate away the problems of life.

Help is nearby.

In 1984, Edward Scheiffelin studied a primitive tribe in New Guinea. Among his findings was an absence of despair, hopelessness, depression, or suicide. Studies among the Amish have found similar results. What is similar in these two cultures is the way individuals are part of a larger community. While Western culture is a pseudo-community in which we occasionally cluster in like-minded groups, these cultures have extended families of different people with different interests who learn how to live and work together. Think about it: how would the statistics on depression change if people felt they were part of a community? Part of a family?

You need to be surrounded by a loving, caring, committed group of Christians.

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.Galatians 6:2

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.Romans 15:1

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.Romans 12:15

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

You have God as your Father. You have Jesus as your Brother. You have the Holy Spirit at work inside you. You have the promises of the Word of God. You have a pastor who prays for you. You have a church family that loves you. You have what it takes to make it.

God is not only the God of the victory, but the God of the process.

Hope is a skill that take practice. We must PRACTICE OUR FAITH.

Joy in Jesus and lasting hope requires a commitment to renewing your mind and trusting in the promises of God that He is walking with you through the darkness.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.Romans 12:2

“There is no verse, pill, or possession that will make hope magically appear. Reciting psalms that you have claimed as your own is part of that practice.”

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.Philippians 4:8

Think on these things: • You are created by God • You are loved by God • You are accepted by God • You are forgiven by God • You are approved by God • You are transformed by God

How to help someone else

• Listen and validate their feelings.
• Ask if they’ve thought of hurting themselves. If so, offer to go with them to get help.
• Pray for them and check back in to see how they’re doing.
• Point them to resources to help.

How to help yourself

• Don’t isolate yourself. You need REAL relationships. Take a social media sabbatical.
• Be more faithful to church, not less. You need a church family.
• Take care of yourself. Diet, exercise, plenty of sleep, meditation. Self-medication is not the same thing as self-care.
• Get the help that you need.
• See your doctor. Get a CBC and hormone levels checked
• Speak with a therapist
• Talk to your pastor
• Read the Psalms and megadose on Truth.
• Commit to the process

Helpful Resources

Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness by Edward T. Welch (Amazon Link) When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper (Download the PDF) The Bible Promise Book by Barbour Publishing (Amazon Link) Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255