An old legend tells of an angel who was sent by God to inform Satan that all his methods to defeat Christians would be taken from him. The devil pleaded to keep just one. "Let me retain depression," he begged. The angel, thinking this a small request, agreed. "Good!" Satan exclaimed. He laughed and said, "In that one gift, I have secured all."

In a now out-of-print book about depression, author Roger Barrett describes it as a "wretched experience that leaves you exhausted, uninvolved, and in deep, hopeless despair. . . . You feel doomed, trapped. . . . It's awful!"

In every age, God's people have struggled with this crippling emotion. Elijah's cry "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life!" is the cry of a despondent man (1 Kings 19:4). Others like Job and David knew similar agony of soul, but they emerged from it with stronger faith. That's encouraging!

Depression can be rooted in spiritual, mental, or physical causes, and we should not be afraid to seek godly counsel and medical help. Whatever the initial cause, Satan would love to defeat us by keeping us in our hope-starved condition. That's why we need to see that our ultimate help is in God—for He loves us and longs to shine His light through the clouds that surround us. He is the God of hope.  — Dennis J. De Haan