Commentary and Reflection:
It is obvious in Chapter 3 that Job was depressed and anxious: “Why is light given to him who is in misery, And life to the bitter of soul, Who long for death, but it does not come, And search for it more than hidden treasures; Who rejoice exceedingly, And are glad when they can find the grave? 3:20-22 “For my sighing comes before I eat, And my groanings pour out like water. For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.” 3:24-26
It is worth noticing that, although he desires death, he does nothing against his life. Amid severe anxiety and depression, he keeps his faith in The Lord. Depression and anxiety are a normal human reaction to a great loss. It is not evidence of lack of faith, it is evidence of our human condition and that we live in a sinful world. Depression and anxiety are diseases, just like the common cold. Elijah was depressed, and Jesus was depressed when he said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” Matthew 26:38
Ellen G. White once wrote to her husband: “I have had a very depressed state of feelings today, unaccountably sad, I could not explain why I felt so exceedingly sad,” Ellen G. White letter 7, 1876, in Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases (Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White Estate, 1990-1993), vol. 7, p. 278.
Even though it’s normal, there’s no reason to stay there. When we are sick, we pray, trust in God, and look for remedies. For the common cold, we take lemon and honey. If we get worse, we go to the doctor. Likewise, when we are anxious and depressed for any reason, we should look for natural remedies, such as walking outside, talking to a friend, distracting ourselves, focusing on helping another person, etc. If we do not improve, then we should go to a psychologist therapist or a psychiatrist. It is not a lack of faith to do so, it is rather prudent and wise.
Ellen G. White once wrote to her son Edson, who had a tendency to think pessimistically, “With the continual change of circumstances, changes come in our experience; and by these changes we are either elated or depressed. But the change of circumstances has no power to change God’s relation to us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and He asks us to have unquestioning confidence in His love.” Ellen G. White in Review and Herald, Apr. 15, 1884.
“Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement—days when sorrow is the portion, and it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of his earthborn children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems preferable to life. It is then that many lose their hold on God and are brought into the slavery of doubt, the bondage of unbelief. Could we at such times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God’s providences we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills, and new faith, new life, would spring into being.” PK 162
To attempt to understand a person amid their sorrow and suffering, one must put oneself in their shoes. Only through empathy can we get a glimpse of the pain of others and become a comfort to them. Job’s sufferings have been, through the centuries, an example of trust in God amid suffering, and serves to give us a glimpse of the deep and the behind the scenes struggles of a grieving human heart.
May there be bright sunshine in your soul today; but know that, if it is a cloudy day, you can trust that The Lord Almighty is by your side.
