Hello Friends, Family, and fellow-servants in Christ! I pray that everyone is resting in God’s peace and strength this week.
It seems that with the weather getting colder and with the sky seemingly developing a perpetual grayness-quality to it; it can be difficult to find and focus on the reasons to be thankful or cheery at this time of year. It has been stated that seasonal depression can affect anyone and it is even classified by health care professionals as a disorder. Seasonal affective disorder or “SAD” to be exact (The acronym is ironically self-explanatory). While not everyone is affected, SAD tends to mark and classify the tone of the winter season for most people. So what are some verses of scripture that can help us to combat the effects of SAD this season? Here are some verses that I hope inspire, comfort, and literally banish SAD from your hearts, minds, and homes this year.
Psalm 68:19 (KJV) “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”
Let’s take a deeper look and try to understand the depth of what is being said by the psalmist, King David. David is praising the God of all creation who he claims, “daily loads us with benefits.” There are some key words I would like to highlight in this verse. The first one is daily. God is blessing his children (you and me if you have accepted Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior!) on a daily basis; think about it. In American we oftentimes take things like food and shelter for granted, but let me assure you it is a BLESSING to have a safe and comfortable place to live- even a bed! Besides that, God offers us daily protection and peace through his Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is an immense blessing as well! I would be lost without the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit and am filled up with peace by it’s presence! That is the guarantee of peace that we may always have. (Thank God!) The next word is loadeth which means “loads.” The scripture says that God literally loads us with benefits! That means He blesses us by an excessive amount. He doesn’t give us the minimum; he always give us the maximum blessings everyday- always far greater than we could have ever imagined! We have a God that not only blesses us but blesses us daily and excessively. What an awesome God!
Here’s another verse to combat seasonal depression;
Isaiah 49:13 (KJV) – “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.”
If you are afflicted this season, take heart; sing! God has mercy upon his afflicted. There is great comfort in knowing that the God of the universe calls you “His.” You are sought out, loved, and spoken for. I encourage you to rest in this scripture this season.
One last thing to remember:
Zechariah 1:3 (KJV) – “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.”
God says that if you draw near to him, he will draw near to you. It can be said that the greatest blessing of this life is to be in the presence of the Almighty God.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
If you wish your life to be filled with these fruits and you wish to be in the presence of them daily, then turn unto God and give Him time. He is worth it. Whether it is through prayer or His Word, give God your time and be filled with His peace. What are you waiting for?
Ultimately friends, I want to encourage you to not forget the blessings of today. Despite whatever is going on around us, God gives us the ultimate peace we need to get through every season of our lives. I pray you seek Him now.
Be Blessed.
Lifted Vision Ministry 