Fibromyalgia, Depression and God - He will see you through

When you have a crazy illness like Fibromyalgia it’s easy for depression to jump in the midst of all the medical stuff we have going on.  It is so easy to give in to it.  I know.  I’ve been there recently when I had my Social Security Disability hearing.  Seeing all the cold, hard facts on paper about how bad my illness is really got to me.  That’s what sent me spiraling down to depression.  I had to face that I am physically no longer the same person.

Joy came back to my life when I actually listened to those around me.  From spending quality time with my grandchildren to my wonderful husband telling me once again that he loved me with all his heart even with all the craziness my illness had brought upon us. I realized that there were people who loved me just as I am and needed me just as I am, no matter how messed up my body and mind is.  Our hearts are still the same as they were before.  Most of all God can still use me in spite of all this to touch someone else.  

Being depressed is not a weakness on our part.  It’s a case of the chemicals in our brains not reacting correctly.  If we stay calm and allow our medicines to do their job, we’ll be fine.  Yes, sometimes they need to be tinkered with and/or changed but they do their job.  How can we stay calm?  Trust me, I’ve questioned that many times. When I need comfort I turn to the Psalms and to Proverbs.  When David wrote Psalm 139 I suspect that he was depressed.  David reminds us in his writing that no matter where we are – physically or emotionally – God is there with us - 

 ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  I’ve even been known to just hold my Bible close to my heart when that was all that I could do.

While doing a search for Bible verses dealing with depression, I am across

True Woman.com   I've not read much there but this entry makes sense to me:

Does Scripture memory sound like “just another thing to do” on an already overwhelming to-do list? What if you learned it was one of the greatest weapons with which to battle discouragement and depression in your life? Would that pique your interest a bit more? 

I admit, I’ve gotten a head start, and Psalm 139 has been a lifeline the past month or so.

• When I’m feeling fearful, I remind myself that His hand is leading me and His right hand (His strong, victorious hand) is holding me (v. 10).
• When I’m feeling frustrated by my intense personality and ever-fluctuating emotions, I remind myself that I am fearfully and wonderfully made (v. 14).
• And when I’m worrying about what the future holds, I remember that “in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (v. 16).

And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t take my word for it, though—open the Word and personalize these truths for yourself—they will offer hope and help to you over and over again!

Would you leave a comment below if you plan to join us this month? Your comment doesn’t need to be long—you can just say “I’m in!” 

PS: As a recovering perfectionist, I feel the need to state the obvious. Any bit of memorizing—or even just reading—is better than none at all. If you memorize just one verse this month, you’re not a failure! Rather, you have one more verse in your weaponry as you battle stray emotions and discouraging circumstances. (Whew, glad we got that cleared up!) 

They recommend starting with just these four verses and then going on to memorize the full Psalm so that it is always in your heart.

 New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
 ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
   were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:1-24

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

    For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

 ¹ O LORD, you have searched me
   and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
   you know it completely, O LORD.
 ⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
   you have laid your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.
 ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths,^[a] you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast.
 ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.
 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
 ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
   were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
 ¹⁷ How precious to^[b] me are your thoughts, O God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
   I am still with you.
 ¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
   Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
   your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
   and abhor those who rise up against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
   I count them my enemies.
 ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 139:8 Hebrew Sheol
2. Psalm 139:17 Or concerning

I have learned the hard way that even when we do not see Him active in our lives when we think we need Him most, He is still there.  He knows our hearts, He knows our needs, and He will provide for us.  There have been times when I have prayed for Jesus to come into my heart as my Savior, even though I did it long ago and one sincere prayer is all it takes.  For some reason, maybe I just needed to remind myself that He has been with me every step of the way since I was in fifth grade and I prayed that prayer on the front porch swing.  Whatever the reason, I was able to feel His presence again, giving me the comfort I needed.

I will survive.  God is by my side.