God’s gifts in suffering (5) Suffering shows us what we truly fear to lose

Life, Sola Panel, Sola Panel

Sorry this post has taken a while. Sometimes you’re too close to something to be able to write about it. By God’s grace, here it is. (You can read my previous posts here: part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

flickr: mark sebastian

I’ve been listening to my fears. I’ve been imagining dire possibilities. Every medical article, every story of hardship, every description of suffering, seems a pointer to our future, a list of what-might-be. There are times when I lie face down on the carpet, sick to the gut, held down by a blank, black dread. I knew that I would cry, but fear? It seems a strange accompaniment to sorrow.

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Following the fearful apostle

Everyday Ministry, Life, Sola Panel

flickr: BRAkesh Rocky

I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. (1 Cor 2:3 NIV)

These words startle and comfort me. They remind me that the apostle Paul felt like I do. He was weak. He feared. He trembled.1 This is exactly how I feel:
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Trusting in the dark: Some biblical reflections on depression and anxiety

Life

What do the Scriptures have to say to those who suffer from depression and anxiety? Paul Grimmond shares some personal and biblical reflections.

Ever since my early 20s, I’ve struggled on and off with anxiety and depression. In the last few years, the struggle has become particularly acute. I often wake at 4:30 am and pretend that it’s just the call of my bladder, but I know it isn’t. I know that as soon as I wake, I won’t go to sleep again. My body feels tired—like I’ve been running in my sleep—and my brain whirs away like the hard drive on my computer. I wake up with a thousand questions in my head—none of which seem solvable—and, at times, I’ve been so exhausted, I’ve just curled up in a ball on the floor and cried, wondering if the emptiness will go away soon. I have suffered mainly from anxiety, with periods of very low mood thrown in for good measure. (more…)

Spiritual Depression

Review, Sola Panel

Spiritual Depression: Its causes and its cure

D Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1965, 300pp.

 

Available from Moore Books

02 9577 9966 (more…)