Brushed By God

Did you ever watch the old time TV show; Hee Haw? It was on in the late sixties and early seventies?

Yes, I know, this really dates me, but that’s all right.  One of my favorite scenes from Hee Haw was the singing of the song with the lyrics, “Gloom, despair and agony on me.  Deep, dark depression, excessive misery.” Though the song was sung for its comic effect, when those things come into our real lives it is not so funny.

It seems that wherever I go, I bump into people with great despair and depression on them, people who feel like failures and have resigned themselves to depression and hopelessness.  Recently, I have witnessed increasing meanness and ingratitude from those who are depressed – Christians, not unbelievers who  know little about God’s love for them! What is the answer to all of this pain, gloom, and agony?

The apostle Paul has a strong opinion about how we are to deal head-on with the misery of despair and depression. In II Corinthians 1, Paul teaches us that if we try to solve this agony of gloom and spiritual stagnation in our own humanity and strength, we will soon be broken and crushed.  When we take our eyes off ourselves, we become driven by the love of God, and then nothing can hinder us from serving people with a pure and joyful heart, even when we are seemingly trampled by the enemy.

As Paul states in I Corinthians 1:12: “It was God who kept us focused on Him, uncompromised.” Having his eyes fixed on Jesus, is what enabled Paul to come out of the “certain doom” of a trial, ready to serve the Corinthian church.

Here we have a picture of God pulling a person out of the flames of despair,  and agony. I have a sense that many of you feel you are in the grip of hopelessness, not even wanting to live. I hear Jesus say to you:” My child do not allow the enemy to torment you any longer, reach out to Me in your sorrow. I love you and want to give you freedom from yourself.  I died for you so I could rescue you. Just come”!