Still Here: When Depression Silences Everything but God’s Grace

Scripture Focus: Psalm 34:18 (NIV)"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit."

Waking up from sleep can sometimes feel like a monumental challenge.

Not because you are lazy.

Not because you are ungrateful.

Instead, it is because of the mental burnout one faces. Fatigue that can't be magically healed by resting.  This goes beyond feeling sad or having a bad day, but gradually eats away at joy. It is an unseen weight that follows you everywhere. It dims your shine, swallows your laughter, and hisses falsehoods about your worth in existence. 

Interests that used to bring you joy no longer matter. 

You put on a grin. “I’m fine,” you insist, even as the world crumbles beneath you. 

Feelings of exhaustion cloud the mind even after long hours of sleep. 

And within the framework of the church, there’s an added burden. 

As a society, we tend to oversimplify pain with soothing phrases. Many people use expressions such as “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” but in such situations, you end up feeling guilty about the emotion you can’t feel. As in, “Weeping may endure for a night…” These sad words leave one with an agonizing truth: nobody tells us some nights stretch into weeks, even years.

We are people of the resurrection, though we seldom discuss the tomb.

Let's be real. Loving Jesus does not exempt you from depressive episodes. You can be anointed and still feel deep pain. You can be faithful and still feel very fragile.

Even Elijah—the prophet of fire—once begged God to let him die while he sat under a broom tree (1 Kings 19). What did God do? 

He didn’t rush him. 

He didn’t shame him. 

He let him rest. 

He sent an angel to nourish him.

God always met Elijah exactly where he was. 

Elijah proves that depression is not a faith failure but the intersection of grace and a life stripped bare. Healing happens without the filters. It is the physical space where God draws near, not to demand your strength but to sustain you while you gather the pieces. 

So, if right now feels like the darkness has more invitation than light, remember: 

You may call on God and go to therapy. 

You can trust the Divine and take your medication. 

You can believe in resurrection and acknowledge death. 

Jesus does not just wait for you in the miracle. He dwells with you in the mourning.  

If your heart is heavy today, hear this:

You are not alone. 

You are not broken. 

You are not disqualified.

You are still becoming.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Even here.

Even now.

Even you.

If everything you have done today is surviving, you are doing more than enough. Remember that healing is not linear, and faith is not always about burning passion. Sometimes, it means sitting quietly. Sometimes, it means being quiet. Even so, God remains close. Let this remind you that your life is progressing even in the shadows. Now, you, my friend, have endured this for a reason.